Pakistan opener Abid Ali created history on Sunday by becoming the first batsman in the game history to score century on both his ODI and Test debuts as he reached three figures on the final day of the Rawalpindi Test against Sri Lanka.
Abid, 32, had earlier scored a century on his 50-over debut against Australia in Dubai earlier this year and replicated the feat in five-day cricket as he guided Pakistan towards a draw in the rain-affected inaugural Test – the first in the country in a decade.
The opening batsman reached his ton off 183 balls with 11 hits to the fence. He received good support from captain Azhar Ali (36) and later Babar Azam, who scored a fifty in the post-tea session.
Abid has been one of the most consistent batsmen in domestic cricket with more than 100 first-class matches and 7,000 runs under his belt. Pakistan’s struggles in the Test format forced the management to look at experienced heads in the batting department and Abid showed that consistency in first-class cricket leads to success in the Test arena more often than not.
Abid has had a stellar start to his international career. He has a century and a fifty after fours ODIs and now has a Test ton in his first outing.
Abid became the first batsman to do the debut ton double in men’s cricket. England's Enid Bakewell has already done so in women's cricket.
