MULTAN – Pakistan ended the first day of the opening Test against England at Multan Cricket Stadium with a solid total of 328 for 4, courtesy of brilliant centuries by captain Shan Masood and Abdullah Shafique.
After winning the toss, captain Shan Masood chose to bat first. Abdullah Shafique and Saim Ayub opened for Pakistan, but Saim Ayub departed early, scoring only 4 runs with the team’s total at 8.
Following Saim Ayub’s dismissal, Abdullah Shafique and Shan Masood steadied the innings and built a strong partnership. Shan Masood reached his century with the help of 2 sixes and 10 fours, while Abdullah Shafique also completed his century before being dismissed for 102. The duo added 253 runs together.
Shortly after Abdullah Shafique’s wicket, Shan Masood was caught for 151 runs with just two additional runs added to the score.
Towards the end of the day’s play, Babar Azam fell for 30 runs. Saud Shakeel remains unbeaten on 35, with Naseem Shah yet to score.
For England, Gus Atkinson claimed 2 wickets, while Chris Woakes took 1.
Pakistan will resume their innings tomorrow at 328 for 4.
Earlier, Shan Masood mentioned that they have two spinners and three fast bowlers in the team, aiming to get back on track by making some changes. English captain Ollie Pope said that they would have opted to bat if they had won the toss.
Pakistan’s Playing XI:
Shan Masood (captain), Saud Shakeel, Babar Azam, Saim Ayub, Abdullah Shafique, Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper-batsman), Salman Ali Agha, Aamir Jamal, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, and Abrar Ahmed.
England squad
Ben Stokes (C), Rehan Ahmed, Gus Atkinson, Shoaib Bashir, Harry Brook, Brydon Carse, Jordan Cox, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Josh Hull, Jack Leach, Ollie Pope, Matthew Potts, Joe Root, Jamie Smith, Olly Stone, Chris Woakes.
Test series schedule
- 7-11 Oct – First Test, Multan
- 15-19 Oct – Second Test, Multan
- 24-28 Oct – Third Test, Rawalpindi
