Pakistan continued their strong performance in the first Test against England, reaching 397/6 at lunch on the second day of the match in Multan on Tuesday. The game will resume after a half-hour lunch break.

Starting the day at 328/4, Pakistan resumed their innings with Saud Shakeel and Naseem Shah at the crease. However, Naseem was dismissed after scoring 35 runs when Harry Brook caught him in the 105th over. After Naseem’s dismissal, Mohammad Rizwan, the wicketkeeper batter, couldn’t contribute much, making only 12 runs before returning to the pavilion.

At lunch, Saud Shakeel remains not out at 67, accompanied by Salman Ali Agha. England’s bowlers put up a decent fight, with Gus Atkinson and Jack Leach claiming two wickets each, while Chris Woakes and Brydon Carse took one wicket each.

Earlier, on the first day, Pakistan won the toss and elected to bat. They faced an early setback when opener Saim Ayub was caught behind by Gus Atkinson after scoring only four runs. However, captain Shan Masood and opener Abdullah Shafique formed a solid 114-run partnership, guiding Pakistan to 122/1 by lunch on day one.

Shan Masood’s brilliant knock of 151 runs off 177 balls, including 13 boundaries and two sixes, was the highlight of the day. Abdullah Shafique also made an impressive century, scoring 102 runs from 184 balls, with 10 boundaries and two sixes. Both Shafique and Masood were eventually dismissed, with Shafique falling to Ollie Pope and Masood being caught by Jack Leach.

England’s bowling lineup struggled to break Pakistan’s partnerships, with Woakes, Leach, and Atkinson managing to take crucial wickets, while Pope, standing in as captain in place of the injured Ben Stokes, played a vital role in Shafique’s dismissal.

England, led by Ollie Pope due to Stokes’ hamstring injury, also missed the presence of star bowler James Anderson, who is participating in the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship in Scotland.

The series marks England’s return to Pakistan, where they last played in 2022, securing a historic 3-0 victory over the hosts.

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