Cricket fans were left worried after veteran Pakistan seamer Hasan Ali was taken off the field on a stretcher on Saturday morning. The incident happened during the second Bangladesh (BAN) vs Pakistan (PAK) Test match, which is being played in Sylhet. Ali was bowling the fifth ball of the eighth over when Tanzid Hasan Tamim got a leading edge off his bat.
The bowler tried to take the return catch on his follow-through, but didn’t manage to complete the catch. That’s when the pacer fell on the pitch, and his head slammed down hard. Hasan lay down on the ground and was motionless for a few seconds. He was seen clutching his head, and the medical team was quick to reach the spot.
The Pakistani player showed signs of dizziness and was helped onto a stretcher and taken off the field for further evaluation. Cameras showed coach Sarfaraz Ahmed having a look of concern on his face, along with bowling coach Umar Gul. Veteran player Salman Ali Agha later completed the over.
🚨WILL PAKISTAN BE ALLOWED TO MAKE A CONCUSSION SUBSTITUTE??
– Hassan Ali Absence Can Really Harm Us pic.twitter.com/BYcsg053hd
— Talha Nawaz (@TalhaDigital007) May 16, 2026
Hasan Ali being stretchered off the field 😟🙏#BANvPAK#HasanAli#Sylhet#Pakistan#Bangladeshpic.twitter.com/SIJc81sqJN
— lightningspeed (@lightningspeedk) May 16, 2026
Pakistan grab two early wickets after opting to bowl first
It was Shan Masood who won the toss and chose to bowl first on what looked like a perfect day for cricket in Sylhet. Mohammad Abbas got the visitors going with a wicket in the second ball of the game. Mahmudul Hasan Joy edged the pacer behind to Agha, who made no mistake while standing in the second slip.
Former skipper Mominul Haque joined Tanzid and went on to put the pressure back on the PAK bowlers. Both players kept hitting boundaries at regular intervals as the hosts raced to 42 runs in just nine overs. Abbas then got the second wicket when he completed a return catch to dismiss the Bangladeshi opener for 26 runs off 34 balls with three boundaries.
Babar Azam returns, Shaheen Shah Afridi dropped for key clash
Meanwhile, former Pakistan skipper Babar Azam was back in the side for the second Test on Saturday. The 31-year-old had missed the previous game owing to fitness concerns. Senior batter’s absence saw his side lose the opening Test match by a massive 104 runs.
The other notable change was Khurram Shahzad replacing Shaheen Afridi in the XI. Left-arm pacer had got a lot of stick for his ineffective bowling in the previous game. This led to reports that the pacer and skipper Masood were involved in a heated exchange in the dressing room. The third change was off-spinner Sajid Khan replacing Noman Ali for the visitors.
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