“I like to enjoy life, and I was relishing the moment. Coming in at No. A standing ovation at Edgbaston brought a broad smile to Pakistan debutant Razaullah’s face as the 21-year-old seamer walked off after a fearless 81 against England, an innings that transformed a seemingly one-sided contest into a competitive finish. 9 with Pakistan still facing the prospect of an innings defeat, Razaullah took the attack to England’s pace trio of Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson and Josh Tongue, smashing nine sixes in his 63-ball knock.
“I enjoyed the standing ovation,” Razaullah grinned later at the press conference, according to Cricinfo.
“My favourite ball [to face] is the short ball. I just believed in myself. Tongue eventually broke the stand by dismissing Abbas, before Razaullah followed soon after, missing out on what could have been a remarkable century on debut. The youngster’s innings came after Pakistan’s top order had laid the platform for a recovery.
I thought if I played 50 balls, I’d get a positive result. He also shared a crucial 121-run partnership with Mohammad Abbas, who made 42, to frustrate England’s attempt to wrap up the match quickly. Shan Masood scored 95, while Azan Awais made 59 in a 125-run opening partnership after Pakistan had lost both openers for no runs.
“I was being selective with which balls to slog, but they all seemed within range,” he said casually. And thankfully that happened,” he said.
The youngster, who had scored a first-class century as an opener after asking his coach to promote him up the order, showed the same attacking intent despite stepping into a vastly different challenge at No. 9 on his Test debut.
