Mohammad Rizwan amazed fans and experts by taking a stunning one-handed catch to dismiss Zakir Hasan during the first Test match between Pakistan and Bangladesh.
Rizwan’s catch occurred on Day 3, which shifted the game’s momentum. Bangladesh had a slow start that day, adding only four runs before Naseem Shah broke through. Shah’s delivery pitched just outside off-stump tempted Hasan into a thick edge. Fully alert, Rizwan executed a remarkable dive to his left, securing the catch with one hand.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh’s Shadman Islam scored a resilient half-century on Friday, helping his team reach 134-2 by lunch. At 29, the left-hander was unbeaten at 53, with senior batter Mominul Haque also not out at 45. Their partnership thrived despite Pakistan’s aggressive pace attack on a slowing pitch at the Rawalpindi stadium. The visitors were still trailing by 314 runs against Pakistan’s first innings total of 448-6, maintaining eight wickets.
Shadman’s boundary off Naseem Shah’s final delivery before lunch marked his sixth and brought up his third Test half-century. This propelled the partnership with Haque to an unbroken stand of 81, a significant recovery after the early losses of Hasan and captain Najmul Hossain Shanto. Haque, showing great poise, had already scored four boundaries.
Despite deploying four pacers, Pakistan felt the absence of a frontline spinner. Part-time bowler Agha Salman struggled to make an impact, bowling eight overs with little success. After resuming at 27-0, Bangladesh soon faced a setback when Rizwan’s catch off Shah’s bowling dismissed Hasan. Shortly afterwards, Shanto’s promising innings ended at 16 when Khurram Shahzad bowled him, leaving the team at 53-2.
