Rawalpindi stadium. (Source – Twitter/X)
The opening day of the highly-anticipated second Test between Pakistan and Bangladesh, was called off due to an incessant bout of rainfall cascading down in Rawalpindi hours before the commencement of the play on Friday, August 30.
The , which was supposed to commence on August 30, 2024, was ruled out with there being no play possible due to an incessant bout of rainfall cascading down in Rawalpindi hours before the commencement of the day’s play.
As a matter of fact, the teams had to call off their practice sessions due to the same reason on Thursday. Things don’t seem bright for later in the day as well as the day to follow, with more rain expected during the course of the day and the conditions forecasted to be gloomily overcast tomorrow.
The decisive prompter came from the umpires, who, after assessing the pitch shielded with covers due to non-stop rain, concluded that no play was possible for the day.
Also Read: Expect a good fight in second game from Pakistan: Bangladesh head coach Chandika Hathurusinghe
With no play seemingly possible on Friday as well, the playing XIs remain a question mark, which will only be revealed during the toss. While the hosts had fielded an all-pace attack the last time around, they have incorporated leg-spinner, Abrar Ahmed, in their XII for the second Test. As for Bangladesh, Nahid Rana, who gave away 135 runs in the 25 overs he bowled across both innings in the first game while having just a single dismissal, is expected to be replaced by Taskin Ahmed.
According to the original timetable, the current Test was supposed to be played in Karachi, but the Pakistan Cricket Board shifted the game to Rawalpindi due to the ongoing renovation at the National Stadium.
Also Read: ‘Is only Shaheen Afridi responsible for Pakistan’s defeats?’ – Ahmed Shehzad slams PCB for dropping pacer in 2nd Bangladesh Test
Pakistan are currently on a spell of nine winless games at home and were handed a 10-wicket drubbing by Bangladesh in the first game of the series. The visitors will be keen on bouncing back with a bang and level the series.