Multan – Team Pakistan continued their first innings on Day 2 of first Test against England, starting at 328/4. Saud Shakeel and Naseem Shah are currently at crease as the national team looks to build on their solid position.
Hosts faced an early setback when opener Saim Ayub was dismissed for just four runs, caught behind off Gus Atkinson. Shan Masood and Abdullah Shafique led the charge, adding 114 runs, guiding Pakistan to 122-1 at lunch.
Skipper was the standout performer, with impressive figures of 151 runs off 177, including 13 boundaries and two sixes, before being caught by Jack Leach. Asad Shafique contributed significantly with a well-crafted 102 runs off 184 balls, while Babar Azam aimed for a half-century but managed only 30 runs before falling to Chris Woakes.
As for the bowling, Chris Woakes and Jack Leach got one scalp each, with Atkinson claiming two. Team England is led by Ollie Pope in this Test, filling in for captain Ben Stokes, who is sidelined due to a hamstring injury. Veteran bowler James Anderson is also absent, participating in the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship in Scotland.
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 Playing XI:
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