Former captain Inzamamul Haq has heaped praise on Pakistan openers Abdullah Shafique and Abid Ali for their prolific performance in the ongoing first Test against Bangladesh.

Pakistan reached 109-0 in their second innings at stumps on the fourth day chasing a target of 202 in their first Test against Bangladesh in Chittagong on Monday.

Both openers Abid Ali (56) and Abdullah Shafique (53) completed their fifty as the visitors came within 93 runs of victory after bowling out the hosts for 157 earlier in the day.

“Chasing 200 runs on this pitch wasn’t going to be easy which is why I think Abid Ali and Abdullah Shafique played really well. If we had lost wickets inside the first 10-20 runs, chasing this target would not have been an easy task,” said Inzamam on his official YouTube channel.

“Credit goes to these two for providing Pakistan with a good start in both innings, especially when the batsmen after them weren’t able to perform well,” he added.  

It must be noted that Abid (133) and Abdullah (52) were the mainstays of Pakistan batting in the first innings, as well, with a 146–run opening stand.