Pakistan vs Australia, 1st Test: Decoding the stats of Imam-ul-Haq
Senior opener Imam-ul-Haq starred for Pakistan in the 1st Test against Australia in Rawalpindi that resulted in a draw. He slammed tons in both innings of the Test (157 and 111*), becoming the 10th Pakistani batter to do so (Test cricket). Interestingly, Imam entered the Test without a ton his previous 11 encounters. Here are the key stats.
Imam and Abdullah Shafique shared a century stand after Pakistan elected to bat. Although Shafique departed on 45, Imam went to slam his maiden Test century. The latter eventually added over 200 runs with Azhar Ali. Imam finished with 157 (358) with the help of 16 fours and 2 sixes. He slammed an unbeaten 111 in the second innings as the match got drawn.
Imam has become only the 10th batter from Pakistan to score centuries in both innings of a Test. He is only the third opener with two hundreds after Hanif Mohammad and Wajahatullah Wasti in a Test for Pakistan.
Imam is the first Pakistani batter since Misbah-ul-Haq in 2014 (101 and 101*) to score two centuries in a Test match. Azhar Ali and Younis Khan are the only other batters who have unlocked this achievement after 2010.
Like Imam, Shafique also scored a ton in the second innings. The duo scored a total of three centuries between them in Rawalpindi. It is the first such instance involving Pakistan openers in a Test match. Overall, it is the eighth time where the openers of a team scored three hundreds in a Test. Indian openers had done this against South Africa in 2019.
Imam made his Test debut in 2018 against Ireland at Malahide. In a career spanning nearly four years, the left-handed batter has racked up 753 runs from 12 Tests (23 innings) at an average of 37.65. The tally includes two centuries and three fifties. His career-best score of 157 came against Australia in the recently-concluded Rawalpindi Test.
