Pakistan’s vice-captain in red-ball cricket, Saud Shakeel, made history on Day 1 of the first Test between Pakistan and Bangladesh by surpassing the record of the legendary Javed Miandad. The left-handed batter reached 1,000 Test runs in just 20 innings, breaking Miandad’s previous record, which took 23 innings to achieve. Shakeel also equaled a 65-year-old record set by former batter Saeed Ahmed, becoming the joint-fastest Pakistani to reach this milestone in Test cricket. Saeed Ahmed initially set the record in 1959 during a Test match against Australia in Karachi.
Since making his Test debut for Pakistan against England in December 2022, Shakeel has become a mainstay in the national side, known for his consistency and masterful batting. At 28, he has already scored two centuries and six fifties, with a career-high score of 208 not out.
In the wider context of international cricket, the fastest to reach 1,000 Test runs is England’s Herbert Sutcliffe, who accomplished the feat in just 12 innings.
On the first day of the Test against Bangladesh, Shakeel also made an impact with the bat, scoring an unbeaten half-century as Pakistan posted 158 for four before bad light brought an early end to the day’s play. Shakeel and wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan, who is unbeaten on 24, will resume Pakistan’s innings on Day 2. Earlier in the day, Pakistan had a shaky start, losing three wickets within the first nine overs, with Abdullah Shafique (2), Shan Masood (6), and Babar Azam (0) all falling cheaply, leaving the team struggling at 16-3.
