Right-arm pacer Naseem Shah struck early in England’s first innings, dismissing captain Ollie Pope in his very first over during the first Test match against Pakistan.
England ended day two at 96/1, still trailing by 460 runs, as Zak Crawley and Joe Root helped stabilize the innings after Pope’s early departure.
Crawley and Root put together a solid partnership, scoring 64 runs off 64 balls to lead England’s recovery. Root remained unbeaten at 32 off 54 balls, while Crawley added 64 runs as the second day’s play concluded at the Multan Cricket Stadium.
Earlier in the day, Pakistan posted an impressive first-innings total of 556, thanks to Salman Ali Agha’s unbeaten century (104* off 119 balls) and Saud Shakeel’s well-crafted 82 runs. Pakistan’s innings came to an end after Abrar Ahmed (3) was caught by Ben Duckett, leaving Salman Ali Agha as the last man standing.
The second day started with Pakistan at 328/4, with Shakeel and Naseem Shah at the crease. Naseem, contributing with the bat as well, scored 33 runs, including three sixes, before being caught by Harry Brook off Brydon Carse’s bowling. Shakeel’s gritty 82 came to an end when he was caught by Joe Root, giving Carse his maiden Test wicket.
Following Shakeel’s dismissal, Mohammad Rizwan fell for a 12-ball duck, and Aamer Jamal managed only seven runs before being dismissed by Carse. Shaheen Shah Afridi added 26 runs to Pakistan’s total before being bowled out.
England’s bowling attack was led by Jack Leach, who claimed three wickets. Gus Atkinson and Brydon Carse also picked up two wickets each, while Chris Woakes and Shoaib Bashir took one wicket apiece.
The match is the first in the three-match series between Pakistan and England, part of the ICC World Test Championship 2023-25. England’s regular captain, Ben Stokes, is missing from this Test due to a hamstring injury, with Ollie Pope leading the side in his absence. Veteran bowler James Anderson is also unavailable for the tour, as he is participating in the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship in Scotland.
England’s last Test series in Pakistan was in 2022, where they handed the home side a 3-0 defeat, making this series a crucial one for Pakistan as they look for redemption.
Playing XIs:
Pakistan: Shan Masood (captain), Saud Shakeel (vice-captain), Saim Ayub, Abdullah Shafique, Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan (wicket-keeper), Salman Ali Agha, Aamir Jamal, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Abrar Ahmed.
England: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope (captain), Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jamie Smith, Chris Woakes, Gus Atkinson, Brydon Carse, Jack Leach, Shoaib Bashir.
