Pakistan’s cricket team made a strong recovery on the first day of the opening Test against England, thanks to captain Shan Masood’s impressive century at the Multan Cricket Stadium on Monday.
After winning the toss and opting to bat, Pakistan faced an early setback when opener Saim Ayub was dismissed for just 4 runs, caught behind off Gus Atkinson’s bowling. However, a 114-run partnership between Masood and Abdullah Shafique helped stabilize the innings.
At lunch, Pakistan had reached 122-1, and by the current update, the score stands at 189-1 with Masood (109*) and Shafique (72*) still at the crease.
Masood had a close call when he was given out lbw off Brydon Carse, but a review overturned the decision, as replays showed the ball pitched outside leg stump. He then raced to a quick 50 from 43 balls. Shafique also had a lucky escape when a direct hit from England’s stand-in captain Ollie Pope narrowly missed the stumps.
England is missing their regular captain, Ben Stokes, who is sidelined due to a hamstring injury, and Ollie Pope is leading the team. Additionally, James Anderson is absent, as he is participating in the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.
This series is part of the ICC World Test Championship 2023-25. England previously swept Pakistan 3-0 in their last red-ball series in 2022.
Playing XI
Pakistan: Shan Masood (captain), Saud Shakeel (vice-captain), Saim Ayub, Abdullah Shafique, Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan (wicket-keeper), Salman Ali Agha, Aamir Jamal, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Abrar Ahmad
England: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope (captain), Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jamie Smith, Chris Woakes, Gus Atkinson, Brydon Carse, Jack Leach, Shoaib Bashir
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