Rain Washes Out Opening Day of Second Pakistan-Bangladesh Test

Persistent rain abandoned the first day of the second test between Pakistan and Bangladesh at Rawalpindi. Bangladesh leads the series after winning the first match. Officials called off play due to the weather. Pakistan remains winless at home since 2021 and has made several squad changes for this match.

Persistent rain washed out the opening day of the second test match between Pakistan and Bangladesh at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Friday.

Bangladesh leads the two-match series 1-0 after a historic 10-wicket win at the same venue last week, where Pakistan managed a mere 146 runs in the second innings on the final day.

Team officials and players remained at the hotel as umpires called off the play at 12:05 p.m. local time due to continuous rain, leaving the outfield submerged.

Both teams are placed in the lower half of the World Test Championship standings, with Bangladesh at No. 7 and Pakistan at No. 8, just above last-place West Indies. Pakistan, struggling since captain Shan Masood took over last year, has not won a home test match since a victory over South Africa in December 2021, drawing four consecutive matches against New Zealand and Australia.

Changes in the Pakistan squad included dropping rusty fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi in favor of left-armer Mir Hamza and leg-spinner Abrar Ahmed. Afridi, ineffective in his first test in eight months, claimed 2-88 as Bangladesh tallied a strong 565 runs against Pakistan's 448-6 declared.

Meanwhile, Bangladesh batters, led by Mushfiqur Rahim's resilient 191, put up noteworthy performances, with contributions from Shadman Islam, Mominul Haque, Litton Das, and Mehidy Hasan Miraz who also took key wickets in the first test.

(With inputs from agencies.)