Pakistan resumed their innings on the second day of the first Test against England at Multan Cricket Stadium, with Saud Shakeel and Naseem Shah forming a crucial partnership.
After a shaky start on the first day, where opener Saim Ayub was dismissed for just four runs by Gus Atkinson, the national side found stability through a strong performance from Shan Masood and Abdullah Shafique.
Masood and Shafique’s 114-run partnership helped Pakistan recover to a solid position of 122-1 at lunch. By the end of the day, Pakistan concluded their innings at 328-4, with Shakeel contributing 35 runs while Naseem Shah remained at the crease with no runs.
The match, which is the first in a three-match series, is part of the ICC World Test Championship 2023-25. On the first day, Masood faced a close call for an lbw in the second over bowled by debutant Brydon Carse. However, after a successful review, it was confirmed that the ball had pitched outside leg stump. Masood went on to score a quick fifty off just 43 balls.
Shafique had a moment of fortune as well when he narrowly avoided a run-out at 35 after England’s stand-in captain, Ollie Pope, missed a direct hit. However, Shafique’s innings concluded at 102 runs off 184 balls, including ten boundaries and two sixes, as he was dismissed in the 59.5 over.
Saim Ayub’s brief innings of four runs was overshadowed by Masood’s stellar performance. Masood’s 151 runs off 177 balls, featuring 13 fours and two sixes, came to an end when he was caught by Jack Leach in the 62.3 over.
Babar Azam, the former white-ball captain, aimed to add a significant contribution but was dismissed for 30 runs off 71 balls, falling victim to a lbw decision from Chris Woakes in the 84.3 over. The English bowling attack saw Woakes and Leach each claim one wicket, while Atkinson secured two dismissals.
England is captained by Ollie Pope in this Test, as regular captain Ben Stokes is unavailable due to a hamstring injury sustained during the Hundred League. Additionally, veteran pacer James Anderson is absent from the squad, participating in Scotland’s Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.
Historically, England has faced Pakistan in 24 Tests, winning only two prior to their previous successful series, where they achieved a 3-0 whitewash in 2022.
Playing XI
Pakistan: Shan Masood (captain), Saud Shakeel (vice-captain), Saim Ayub, Abdullah Shafique, Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper), Salman Ali Agha, Aamir Jamal, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Abrar Ahmad.
England: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope (captain), Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jamie Smith, Chris Woakes, Gus Atkinson, Brydon Carse, Jack Leach, Shoaib Bashir.
