Abdullah Shafique and Imam-ul-Haq have joined Pakistan’s elite list of openers
The first Test between Pakistan and Australia ended in a tame draw due to the Rawalpindi pitch’s lack of support for the bowlers. Pakistan scored 252 runs before the final day’s play, losing only four wickets in each of their two innings, with their openers remaining unbeaten in the second. As Australia’s exhausted bowlers failed to make a breakthrough, Abdullah Shafique scored 136 runs and Imam-ul-Haq scored 111 runs and remained unbeaten. Pakistan declared their first innings total of 476/4, which the Australians replied with 459 in their first innings.
Shafique and Imam became Pakistan’s fourth opening pair to score a century each in the same innings of a Test match. Shafique contributed 44 runs to Imam’s 157 runs in the first inning. Azhar Ali, who had scored 185 runs in the first innings, was the other centurion.
The first time two Pakistani openers achieved this feat was in 1997, when Aamir Sohail scored 160 runs and Ijaz Ahmed scored 151 slammed tonnes against the West Indies in Karachi.
In 2001, against Bangladesh in Multan, Saeed Anwar (101) and Taufeeq Umar (104) were the second duo to do it. Shan Masood (135) and Abid Ali (174) both hit tonnes against Sri Lanka in Karachi in 2019.
Both Pakistan and Australia will be hoping that the wickets in the remaining two Test matches will help the bowlers and make the contest more balanced between bat and ball.
