Pakistan may be staring at another defeat in the Edgbaston Test against England, but 21-year-old fast bowler Razaullah has emerged as one of the biggest talking points on debut. The pacer impressed with his speed and movement, finishing with four wickets in his first Test innings. However, his performance also exposed a major weakness as he proved to be an expensive option for Pakistan.
Razaullah made an immediate impression with his pace. His opening delivery was clocked at around 137 km/h before his speed climbed to nearly 145 km/h. He also generated considerable swing and troubled England's batters. The young pacer picked up the prized wicket of Joe Root and added two more dismissals to complete an impressive four-wicket haul.
Despite picking up four wickets, Razaullah ended up being Pakistan's most expensive bowler in the innings. He conceded 148 runs from 23 overs, registering an economy rate of 6.43.
Among the Pakistan bowlers who delivered at least 20 overs, Razaullah had the highest economy rate. His inability to consistently restrict the scoring allowed England to keep piling on the runs despite losing wickets at regular intervals.
Razaullah's problems were particularly evident against England's lower order, which managed to score freely against him. His pace also appeared to dip slightly as he continued through his lengthy spell.
England eventually posted 453 runs in their first innings, securing a commanding 320-run lead after Pakistan were dismissed for just 133.
Razaullah endured a difficult outing with the ball but made up for it with a sensational display with the bat. The Pakistan pacer smashed nine sixes during his knock at Edgbaston, matching the record for the most sixes by a batter in a Test innings in England. He now shares the mark with Ben Stokes, who also hit nine maximums during the 2023 Ashes Test at Lord’s.
The 21-year-old also produced a record-breaking half-century. Razaullah reached his fifty from just 43 deliveries, making it the fastest half-century by a Pakistani batter on Test debut. He surpassed Faheem Ashraf’s previous record of a 52-ball fifty against Ireland in 2018.
Razaullah’s aggressive approach immediately shifted the momentum in Pakistan’s favour. His first six put Pakistan ahead, before he launched three sixes in a single over from Gus Atkinson. He then smashed Jofra Archer for his fifth six to bring up his 43-ball half-century. Razaullah continued his attack and struck another six off Archer to take Pakistan past the 400-run mark.
