Pakistan vs Bangladesh, 2020: 1st Test – Naseem's hat-trick, Pakistan's 23-year wait, Babar's hat-trick tons at home and more stats

Pakistan continues their domination in Test cricket at home as they took 1-0 lead in the 2-match Test series against Bangladesh. Shaheen Shah Afridi’s 4-wicket haul restricted the visitors to 233 on the opening day. Babar Azam scored 143 from only 193 balls with 18 fours and a six as Pakistan posted 445 despite losing their last seven wickets for 103 runs.

In the second innings, Bangladesh were looking set towards avoiding an innings defeat. However, Naseem Shah’s hat-trick at the end of 3rd day collapsed Bangladesh to 126/6 from 124/2. Pakistan took 4/42 across 17.2 overs on the 4th day for completing an innings win.

All the statistical highlights from Pakistan’s innings win in the Rawalpindi Test against Bangladesh:

A Test win in Rawalpindi after 23 years:

1997 – Last time Pakistan won a Test match in Rawalpindi was way back in 1997 when they beat West Indies by innings and 29 runs. Pakistan lost three of the last four Test matches they played at this venue in these 23 years.

Bangladesh’s misery in Pakistan:

19/19 – Pakistan has won each and every match they played against Bangladesh on Pakistan soil in International cricket. This 19-match losing streak of Bangladesh includes five defeats in Test cricket.

Naseem – The youngest to many:

16y 359d – Naseem Shah, at the age of 16 years and 359 days, became the youngest player to take a hat-trick in Test cricket. No player before Naseem took a hat-trick in International cricket before turning 19.

1 – Naseem Shah is now the first player to receive Player of the Match award in Test cricket before turning 17. Ireland Women player Isobel Joyce was the previous youngest to Player of the Match award in Test cricket as she took a 6-wicket haul against Pakistan Women in 2000 on her Test debut less than a week after her 17th birthday.

Mohammad Ashraful was the previous youngest player to receive a player of the match award in Men’s Test as he was 17 years and 163 days when he received the award in the 2001 Colombo Test against Sri Lanka by becoming the youngest Test centurion.

2002 – Naseem is also the first player from Pakistan to take a Test cricket since Mohammad Sami against Sri Lanka in 2002. He is now only the 4th player to claim a Test hat-trick for Pakistan.

Stats: Youngest players to take a hat-trick in Test cricket

A hat-trick at home for Babar:

3 – Babar Azam has scored a century in each of the three Test matches played at home making him the first player to smash hundreds in first three Test matches on Pakistan soil. As many as 8 players scored a hundred in three consecutive Tests in Pakistan before Babar but none of them got those in their first three matches in the country.

No record for Abid Ali:

1 – Mohammad Azharuddin remains the only player in the history of Test cricket to smash hundreds in first three Test matches. Abid Ali scored centuries in his first two Test match and bagged a duck in the first innings of this Rawalpindi Test.

Interestingly, Abid bagged duck on 2nd of this game which coincided with Azharuddin’s 57th birthday. With Pakistan winning the Test by an innings margin, the Pakistan opener didn’t get a second chance for the World record.

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