In the opening Test against England in Multan, Pakistan suffered an early setback, losing three wickets. Abdullah Shafique contributed a solid 102 from 184 balls but was dismissed soon after. Captain Shan Masood departed after a robust innings of 151 runs from 177 balls.
Babar Azam and Saud Shakeel are currently at the crease, pushing Pakistan’s total to 289 for 3 after 74.2 overs.
The match saw Pakistan’s opener, Saim Ayub, dismissed early for just four runs, caught by Jamie Smith from Gus Atkinson’s bowling.
Pakistan chose to bat first after winning the toss against England.
Captain Shan Masood expressed the team’s intent to post a significant score, noting the lengthy period since their last victory. He outlined Pakistan’s strategy of fielding three fast bowlers and two spinners.
England’s Ollie Pope observed moisture in the pitch, aiming for early dismissals. He remarked that England would have opted to bat first had they won the toss.
Historically, each team has secured a win against the other in Multan. Before this, Bangladesh had swept Pakistan in a two-match Test series at home.
Pakistan’s team for this Test includes Saim Ayub, Abdullah Shafique, Shan Masood (C), Babar Azam, Saud Shakeel (VC), Mohammad Rizwan (Wk), Salman Ali Agha, Aamir Jamal, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, and Abrar Ahmad.
England’s lineup comprises Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope (C), Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jamie Smith, Chris Woakes, Gus Atkinson, Brydon Carse (debut), Jack Leach, and Shoaib Bashir.
