PAK vs ENG: It was an exciting start to the last Test for Pakistan against England. The bowlers came good on the last day of the Test in Multan, as they had the Pakistan team get on to the backfoot towards the end to claim three crucial wickets and retain a share of honors, after being under pressure for the greater part of the day while navigating a belligerent pitch.
Day one ends with Pakistan 73-3, trailing by 194 runs after Sajid's spectacular 6️⃣-fer in England's first innings 🏏
— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) October 24, 2024
Scorecard: https://t.co/KZy76OPc1b#PAKvENG | #TestAtHome pic.twitter.com/Pdf8AAVRPK
Kamran Ghulam’s Dream Team Short-Lived
Pakistan’s best man from the first Test, Kamran Ghulam, could not get into any sort of rhythm after his fairytale debut. A little nip-backer from Gus Atkinson dislodged him, the only victim of the day that fell to the fast men of England. Altogether, only three overs of fast bowling were bowled in the first day, with Pakistan using no fast men in their bowling effort.
Trouble For First Innings Openings
Pakistani openers Abdullah Shafique and Saim Ayub could not carry on balancing the side, as both went down cheaply. Shoaib Bashir and Jack Leach took one wicket each while aggravating the woes of Pakistan regarding building stable opening combinations.
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Shafique was a victim of a sharp off-break, and Ayub’s flick to a turning ball was an easy catch to short mid-wicket. A small partnership between Saud Shakeel and captain Shan Masood, at 16* each, pretty much leveled the innings. Three early wickets did dampen Pakistan’s impressive bowling display from the early part of the day to some extent.
The Spin-Duo Dominates England’s Batting
Sajid Khan (6-128) and Noman Ali (3-88) staged a spin onslaught on England’s batting order. From the very first over, it was Sajid’s incisive spin that dictated terms: England’s batters, on their part, were not easily able to get accustomed to both turn and low bounce. A very promising start with a 56-run partnership between Ben Duckett (52) and Zak Crawley (29) soon went haywire as the team began its dismal collapse from 56-0 to 118-6 when the spinning duo created complete havoc.
Smith And Atkinson’s Fight Back
Jamie Smith (91) and Gus Atkinson (39) composed a match-saving 107-run stand to extend the innings. The two batsmen showed great footwork and defensive drills before moving on to the attacking mode to try and save the game. Noman broke the partnership by sending Atkinson back into the dressing room while Smith fell at the end of the 90’s scoreboard, earning a total of 267 for England.
A Tricky Total For Pakistan To Chase
England’s total is respectable but still a bit below par, considering the pitch conditions. The old saying remains true: the pitch shows its true character only after both teams have batted. Pakistan’s troubles in the initial stages of their innings also imply that England may well have left Pakistan with a testing target.
Now that the match has taken off, it will be interesting to see if the pitch further disintegrates or just settles into a slow affair on the second day.
Brief Scores: England 267 (Jamie Smith 91, Ben Duckett 52; Sajid Khan 6-128, Noman Ali 3-88) vs Pakistan 73/3 (Saim Ayub 19; Gus Atkinson 1-2, Shoaib Bashir 1-29)
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