Rawalpindi: Pakistan vice-captain Saud Shakeel equaled a batting record that had stood for 65 years, as his team took a commanding position on the second day of the opening Test against Bangladesh.

According to International Cricket Council, Shakeel scored 141 runs to bring up his third Test century, helping Pakistan to declare at 448/6. His performance allowed him to match Saeed Ahmed’s feat of reaching 1000 Test runs in just 11 matches and 20 innings, a record set in 1959. Shakeel’s innings took his batting average to 65.17, placing him second among current Test batters with at least 10 innings, only behind India’s Yashasvi Jaiswal.

The partnership of 240 runs for the fifth wicket with Mohammad Rizwan, who scored an unbeaten 171, underscored Pakistan’s dominance in this crucial ICC World Test Championship match. With three days left in the test and Bangladesh at 27 without loss at stumps, Pakistan aims to secure maximum points to improve their sixth-place standing in the championship. The top two teams at the end of the cycle will compete in the World Test Championship final at Lord’s next year.