Monday 25 / November / 2024
Multan: Test captain Shan Masood and opener Abdullah Shafique's historic 253-run partnership put Pakistan in a comfortable seat on the opening day of the first Test against England in Multan on Monday.
Pakistan ended day one with a score of 328/4, with vice-captain Saud Shakeel and young pacer Naseem Shah unbeaten with scores of 35 and 0, respectively.
With grit and resilience from Masood and Shafique, Pakistan exuded control over the new-looking bowling setup of the visitors on a scorching day in Multan, where temperature went past a high 30 degrees Celsius.
England rejoiced by striking early in the first session despite losing the toss and being put to bowl. Gus Atkinson removed young Saim Ayub (4) cheaply with a back-of-the-length delivery. The southpaw gloved it to wicketkeeper Jamie Smith, who made no mistake in taking the opportunity.
Pakistan Test skipper joined the out-of-form opener to bring Pakistan back into the game. With both players under tremendous pressure, the duo took contrasting approaches during their time on the crease.
Masood set the benchmark by playing the role of the aggressor, while Shafique was more cautious on the back of his poor string of scores in Test colours.
The duo made England bowlers toil hard, tested their limits and set the tempo of the game. The duo created waves, and Masood occasionally toyed with the visitors with a couple of cheeky shots.
Masood raced to 50 in just 43 deliveries, indicating the mantle on his shoulders of piling up runs on the board.
With Test skipper Ben Stokes out of action due to a hamstring injury, stand-in captain Ollie Pope tried to shuffle in his bowling options, but it was to no avail.
With Pakistan coming into the match without a home Test win since 2021, the duo showed intent with their approach, making the inexperienced bowling line-up face a new learning curve.
The duo went on to stitch a 253-run partnership, which eventually concluded after tiredness started to show its effect on both players,
Masood scored his first century as Pakistan Test skipper, which was also the second-fastest by a Pakistan skipper in the format. The three-digit figures marked Masood's first ton in four years and 27 innings.
Shafique got the monkey off his back after crossing the three-digit mark and the relief showed up on his face. But fatigue played its part and a shot from Shafique in Atkinson's over turned out to be the end of the 253-run partnership. The 24-year-old walked back with a score of 102(184) to his name.
Masood soon followed in the footsteps of his partner after Jack Leach tossed up the ball, and the Pakistan skipper cushioned it back into the hands of the spinner. Masood's impressive show in Multan concluded with a score of 151 (177).
Babar Azam and Shakeel tried to stay till the end to ensure the hosts didn't end up losing more wickets. However, Chris Woakes set the former Pakistan skipper perfectly and pinned him in front of the stumps to extend his lean patch to another innings.
With a fullish delivery that slightly nipped, Babar shuffled across but ended up missing the ball. The moment the ball struck the pad, Babar's return to the dugout was sealed for a score of 30(71).
Brief Score: Pakistan 328/4 (Shan Masood 151, Abdullah Shafique 102; Gus Atkinson 2-70) vs England.
