'Awais absorbed all the pressure' - Imam impressed by Pakistan debutant's 85*

"We won all the sessions today," Imam added, "but there are three days remaining. This is the beauty of Test cricket"

Danyal Rasool

Published: May 9, 2026, 3:17 PM (3 hrs ago)

Imam-ul-Haq praised the temperament of Pakistan debutant Azan Awais, saying it demonstrated the value of first-class cricket. Awais, who led Pakistan's response to Bangladesh's steep first innings total, finished the second day unbeaten on 85, with Pakistan losing just the one wicket for the 179 they put up.

"You should prioritise red-ball domestic cricket. Azan has played 33 first-class matches and scored 10 hundreds. His record speaks for itself," Imam said. "He was batting under pressure. There was lateral movement and the Bangladesh bowlers were playing with decent pace. He held his composure. He absorbed all the pressure, and it really helps having played so much domestic cricket."

By the end of the day, Awais looked like a veteran negotiating a formidable bowling attack under the pressure of a large deficit. He saw off waves of attacking spells from Nahid Rana, finally hitting him out of the attack with three successive boundaries in what turned out to be his final over.

Imam believed it demonstrated the value of sticking it out early, as all three Pakistan batters had done today, though he also acknowledged Bangladesh's bowling was not as consistent or disciplined as it might have been.

"There is a lot of grass but the pitch is very good to bat on," Imam said. "It's initially difficult, but when you get 20-30 runs it gets easier. We got lucky because we were getting boundaries every 2-3 overs, which was good for the debutant [Awais] as well that he didn't have that pressure where the runflow was very dry. We got the boundary ball often enough, and in that sense we were lucky today."

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But it might have all been very different. When Rana first came into the attack, he targeted 21-year-old Awais with a wicked, rearing bouncer that ending up striking him on the badge of the helmet. Evidently dazed, the physio was called and lengthy concussion protocols followed. While he stayed on, he called for medical assistance soon after, with the protocols being repeated once more soon after before he was allowed to continue.

Imam said Pakistan's plans for Rana had been discussed in advance. "We knew what was coming," Imam said. "We had a meeting where we discussed that Nahid would bowl like this [fast]. Credit goes to Azan. After the first ball when he got hit, which was a quick ball, the way he responded was very good.

"We spoke after that. It was just a normal conversation. I was just saying watch the ball, what has happened has happened. Now you have to focus again. But the way he absorbed all the pressure was impressive. He knew how to score runs on this wicket when there was lateral movement and it was very difficult to bat at some stages. But he held his composure and batted brilliantly."

That innings has overseen a dramatic reversal of fortunes for Pakistan in Mirpur. At the end of the first day, Bangladesh found themselves in a commanding position, finishing four wickets down for 301. But after a Mohammad Abbas five-for helped dismiss Bangladesh for 413, Pakistan's inroads into that innings has nearly cut the deficit in half; they are 224 runs behind.

"We won all the sessions today," Imam said. "But there are three days remaining. This is the beauty of Test cricket. It really changes very quickly. You have to be patient. Tomorrow is moving day and will decide where the Test match is going."

Danyal Rasool is ESPNcricinfo's Pakistan correspondent. @Danny61000

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