Pakistan may have found another long format gem in Azan Awais. Or is it too early to tell? Maybe. After all, this is just his debut. But the left handed opener from Sialkot certainly gave a glimpse of his potential with a calm and mature unbeaten 85 against Bangladesh in Dhaka, helping Pakistan recover strongly after an early setback.

By stumps on Day 2 of the first Test at the Sher e Bangla National Cricket Stadium, Pakistan had reached 179 for 1 in 46 overs, still trailing Bangladesh by 234 runs. But much of the attention was on the 21-year-old debutant wearing Pakistan’s Test cap No. 261.

What stood out was not just the runs, but the way he handled pressure.

Early in his innings, Bangladesh speedster Nahid Rana struck him on the helmet with a sharp short ball. Many debutants would have gone into their shell after that moment. Azan reacted differently.…