'Nervous when I was going to bat' - Azan Awais reflects on his century on Test debut

Azan Awais became the 14th Pakistan batter to score a century on Test debut in the first Test against Bangladesh at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Dhaka.

In a moment of concern, he was struck in the head by Bangladesh fast-bowler Nahid Rana while batting on 7. The Pakistan physios had to come out and check Awais twice for a concussion, after which he looked in total control. Speaking after the game, he stated the impact of the early nerves on his batting, before going out to bat. 

"I was not nervous when I was facing Nahid, though I was a little bit nervous when I was going to bat. But when the ball hit my helmet, I was a little zoned out for five minutes. But then I realised it was time to show how I was, so I am glad with how I responded. In international cricket, you will face difficulties. They plan for where they're going to bowl to you, so you have to find solutions to that if you want to score runs,” Awais was quoted as saying by ESPNCricinfo.

Laced with 14 boundaries, his innings was a vital part of Pakistan getting to 386 after electing to bowl first. Awais put on stands of 104 and 106 with Imam ul-Haq and fellow debutant Abdullah Fazal, which set a solid platform for Pakistan. Finishing day 2 unbeaten on 85, he reached his century off 153 balls before falling to Taskin Ahmed for 103.

Awais spoke of the pride he felt in making his debut for his country while also contributing significantly. He believed that he could translate his form from domestic cricket to the international stage. 

"I'm a very calm guy. I just did a normal celebration. It's my first one. It's a very blessed feeling for me. It's a dream to play Test cricket. It's my debut match, and I performed really well for my country. I performed well in domestic cricket, so I was confident that I would do well. I was a little bit nervous when I was playing the first ball, but then once I scored my first run I began to feel better and more confident.,” he added.

Awais came into the Pakistan team with a wealth of brilliant performances in first-class cricket. He has scored 2,673 runs in 33 matches at an average of 48.60. He joined the likes of greats like Javed Miandad and Younis Khan as centurions on debut in Test Cricket. He stated that he was prepared to play on a Mirpur wicket that had enough in it for the seam bowlers.

"In the last 2 years I played 33 first-class matches, and I performed really well in first-class cricket. The domestic cricket we've played gave us the kind of pitches to prepare for this green track. We got all kinds of pitches, and used a heavy Dukes ball so we knew how we'd have to play on these kinds of tracks. In your debut match, there's always pressure but thankfully I absorbed it well."

Pakistan put on 386 in response to Bangladesh’s 413 in the first innings. Mehidy Hasan Miraz picked up five wickets for Bangladesh, as they ensured they held the first innings lead.

Bangladesh ended Day 3 on a score of 7/0. They put on 413 in the first innings courtesy of a century from skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto and scores of 91 and 71 from Mominul Haque and Mushfiqur Rahim, respectively. Veteran seamer Mohammad Abbas was the pick of the bowlers for Pakistan, with figures of 5 for 92.