Azhar, Aslam pilot Pakistan to commanding position
Azhar Ali (89) and Sami Aslam (75) picked up from where they left off in the first session to pile up an unbeaten stand of 172 for the first wicket as the hosts held a vice-like grip on West Indies at Dinner on the opening day of the Day-Night Test at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium in Dubai on Thursday (October 13).
The duo plotted Pakistan's dominant position by blending eye-catching shots with deft placement to collect runs at will. As soon as West Indies' spinners dragged it down on a slow pitch, Azhar camped back to ruthlessly cut it to the fence square on the off-side. That was in contrast to Aslam's approach, who mainly looked to saunter down the track and, with an extension of his arms, lofted it straight down the ground.
However, the crux of their batting efforts was that both of them waited for the ball and largely played it under their eye-line. Aslam compiled his third Test fifty with a square cut. The 20-year-old has shown ample evidence of his maturity in his fledgling Test career. Azhar soon followed him by netting in his 21st half-century.
The pitch has already started to offer a bit of grip for the spinners, but the duo of Devendra Bishoo and Roston Chase struggled to find the right length. Cummins was again the pick of the bowlers for West Indies. He tried to mix up his lengths and generated a hint of reverse swing. Incidentally, he also attempted to hide the ball from the batsman's view.
Shannon Gabriel bowled a few well-directed bouncers, including one that thudded into Aslam's arm, but he couldn't maintain the required discipline. Just before the break, West Indies also placed their belief in the review after Aslam was adjudged not out off Bishoo, but the HawkEye suggested that it would miss the leg-stump.
Earlier, despite the Test being played under lights to revive public's interest in the traditional format of the game, the players were greeted with largely empty stands. There was an inkling before the match commenced that pink-ball Test could bring in a dash of excitement and adventure, with fans flocking to the stadium, but it hasn't been the case so far.
The cricket on display also wasn't exactly of high standard. Pakistan won the toss and opted to bat on what looked like a typical Dubai track that would stay slow and low. Azhar and Aslam showed the required defence and application to negotiate the early threat of Cummins.
Cummins wheeled away from the Dubai Sports City End and snapped his fingers to angle it across the left-handed Aslam. He even had an appeal for leg-before in the second over turned down against Aslam. However, on replays, it was clear that the ball had pitched outside the line of leg-stump.
In what turned out to be a battle of wills and patience between Cummins and Aslam, the 20-year-old opener emerged the winner. Azhar, his partner at the other end, was troubled by Gabriel's uncanny ability to extract bounce from a length. The sturdy pacer even elicited an outside edge off Azhar's bat, but it fell short of the slip cordon.
Azhar also played a half-hearted cut shot off Cummins in the 13th over, but Leon Johnson positioned at floater slip couldn't hold onto the sharp chance.
It was only when Kraigg Brathwaite, Roston Chase and Bishoo were introduced into the attack that Aslam decided to unfurl a volley of shots. With nimble feet and a still head, the left-handed batsman hustled the fielders by threading the gaps in the field.
The on-field umpires inspected the pink ball a couple of times in the second session, but it has held up quite well until the end of second session. It would be interesting to see whether the dew factor will come into play in the final session.
Brief Scores: Pakistan 172/0 (Azhar Ali 89*, Sami Aslam 75*) vs West Indies
The duo plotted Pakistan's dominant position by blending eye-catching shots with deft placement to collect runs at will. As soon as West Indies' spinners dragged it down on a slow pitch, Azhar camped back to ruthlessly cut it to the fence square on the off-side. That was in contrast to Aslam's approach, who mainly looked to saunter down the track and, with an extension of his arms, lofted it straight down the ground.
However, the crux of their batting efforts was that both of them waited for the ball and largely played it under their eye-line. Aslam compiled his third Test fifty with a square cut. The 20-year-old has shown ample evidence of his maturity in his fledgling Test career. Azhar soon followed him by netting in his 21st half-century.
The pitch has already started to offer a bit of grip for the spinners, but the duo of Devendra Bishoo and Roston Chase struggled to find the right length. Cummins was again the pick of the bowlers for West Indies. He tried to mix up his lengths and generated a hint of reverse swing. Incidentally, he also attempted to hide the ball from the batsman's view.
Shannon Gabriel bowled a few well-directed bouncers, including one that thudded into Aslam's arm, but he couldn't maintain the required discipline. Just before the break, West Indies also placed their belief in the review after Aslam was adjudged not out off Bishoo, but the HawkEye suggested that it would miss the leg-stump.
Earlier, despite the Test being played under lights to revive public's interest in the traditional format of the game, the players were greeted with largely empty stands. There was an inkling before the match commenced that pink-ball Test could bring in a dash of excitement and adventure, with fans flocking to the stadium, but it hasn't been the case so far.
The cricket on display also wasn't exactly of high standard. Pakistan won the toss and opted to bat on what looked like a typical Dubai track that would stay slow and low. Azhar and Aslam showed the required defence and application to negotiate the early threat of Cummins.
Cummins wheeled away from the Dubai Sports City End and snapped his fingers to angle it across the left-handed Aslam. He even had an appeal for leg-before in the second over turned down against Aslam. However, on replays, it was clear that the ball had pitched outside the line of leg-stump.
In what turned out to be a battle of wills and patience between Cummins and Aslam, the 20-year-old opener emerged the winner. Azhar, his partner at the other end, was troubled by Gabriel's uncanny ability to extract bounce from a length. The sturdy pacer even elicited an outside edge off Azhar's bat, but it fell short of the slip cordon.
Azhar also played a half-hearted cut shot off Cummins in the 13th over, but Leon Johnson positioned at floater slip couldn't hold onto the sharp chance.
It was only when Kraigg Brathwaite, Roston Chase and Bishoo were introduced into the attack that Aslam decided to unfurl a volley of shots. With nimble feet and a still head, the left-handed batsman hustled the fielders by threading the gaps in the field.
The on-field umpires inspected the pink ball a couple of times in the second session, but it has held up quite well until the end of second session. It would be interesting to see whether the dew factor will come into play in the final session.
Brief Scores: Pakistan 172/0 (Azhar Ali 89*, Sami Aslam 75*) vs West Indies
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