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Pakistan vs England: Test Day 1
England started off great with the new ball sending Abdullah Shafique and Shan Masood for 7 and 3 respectively. Jack Leach took both the wickets. The debutant Kamran Ghulam and opener Saim Ayub fought really well and built a partnership of 149 runs. At Day 1 stumps, Pakistan are 259/5 with Muhammad Rizwan and Salman Ali Agha at the Crease with Jack leach, Mathew Potts, Brydon Carse and Shoaib Bashir having 2,1,1,1 wickets respectively.
Scorecard
Pakistan vs England: England were challenged by a hundred on his first match by Pakistan’s Kamran Ghulam on the first day of the second Test in Multan.
After the sudden dismissal of Babar Azam due to an earthquake, Ghulam scored an impressive 118 runs for the home team, leading them to a total score of 259-5.
The 29-year-old’s performance alleviated any concerns that batting would be difficult on a pitch that had been used for England’s innings victory at the same ground last week.
Fears arose that the Test match would be over in three days at most when spinner Jack Leach got Pakistan to 19-2 in the first 10 overs.
However, Ghulam partnered with Saim Ayub for a third-wicket partnership of 149 runs. After losing Ayub and Saud Shakeel in quick succession, Ghulam continued his batting.
In general, England’s spin bowlers had difficulties while the main danger from the tourists was posed by their fast bowlers, including captain Ben Stokes, who was playing his first Test match since July. Stokes, Brydon Carse and Matthew Potts were exceptional in getting the ball to swing in reverse before and after tea.
Ghulam successfully formed a partnership of 65 runs with Mohammad Rizwan, with the wicketkeeper surviving an edge off Potts that England chose not to review.
Towards the end, Shoaib Bashir made a comeback after a challenging day to dismiss Ghulam, setting up an exciting finish to the Test.
Pitch takes us into uncharted territory
Debating the wisdom of Pakistan recycling the pitch from the first Test in the hopes of a different outcome is one thing, but it undeniably produced an intriguing spectacle. Honestly, it was much more enjoyable to watch than England’s historic high-scoring performance last week.
The extremely rare scenario led to an exploration of uncharted territory, leaving everyone unsure about how the field would perform and resulting in the two teams making different choices.
Pakistan’s decision to play in certain conditions with three spinners heavily relied on their ability to win the toss. England’s choice to use three seamers was justified by the significant contributions they made throughout the afternoon.
The occurrences at the start of the day – England utilized spin bowlers from both ends within seven overs and Leach took two wickets from his initial 16 deliveries – indicated a Test match likely to be heavily influenced by spin and potentially finishing quickly.
The outcome was an arm-wrestling match, where runs were crucial and the pace was significant, indicating that Pakistan’s team might be lacking with only Aamer Jamal on their side.
Among the uncertainties, there is a strong belief that the pitch will deteriorate even more. There were instances when the ball was moving unpredictably, which will make England’s job of batting last even more challenging.
Overall, Pakistan may have a slight advantage, but England still have the opportunity to limit the innings to a manageable total and perform well with the bat.
Pitch is showing mystery in this Pakistan vs England encounter.
Ghulam shows appreciation for Pakistan’s trust
It was a huge challenge for Ghulam, who played for Hoylandswaine Cricket Club in Barnsley, to step into superstar Babar’s role and support Pakistan’s comprehensive strategy.
He reacted by becoming the 13th person to achieve a Test century on his first appearance for Pakistan, showcasing determination, composure, and remarkable skill.
Following Abdullah Shafique’s dismissal and captain Shan Masood being caught at mid-wicket, Ghulam and Ayub worked together to neutralize England’s attack. Both individuals were eager to challenge the spin bowlers and excelled at executing the sweep shot.
It was only when England switched back to a faster pace that Ghulam appeared uneasy. During the post-tea session, Ghulam attempted to resist England’s pressure and managed to avoid being caught by Ben Duckett as he played a shot at Leach on 79.
In the end, Ghulam managed to hit Joe Root to the mid-wicket boundary, scoring his century from 192 deliveries, showing intense emotions towards the home dressing room in celebration.
Assisted by Rizwan, it appeared that Ghulam would stick around until the end, but ended up overtaking Bashir. Had he not been dismissed by the bowler, he would have been caught out by a considerable margin.
England Showing Promise
Pakistan vs England: England had to persist through the first day of the initial Test match, giving up 328-4 in a match they eventually came out victorious in. A week later, England continued to fight with the same determination, but they may struggle more to reverse the situation.
Leach initiated issues at the beginning before his impact decreased. Bashir had difficulties with his fishing line. Stokes played around with the field, but it didn’t help.
The fast bowlers were mostly kept at bay until well into the second half of the day. Stokes, back from a hamstring injury, along with Carse and Potts from Durham, successfully utilized reverse swing to their advantage, causing the ball to keep low and changing the game’s dynamics.
Stokes displayed ingenuity in his fields, sometimes utilizing up to seven catchers positioned mainly in front of the bat. Ayub touched Potts to Stokes himself near the off-side mid-off position and Carse located the edge of Shakeel.
Had Stokes accepted Potts’ review request after Rizwan edged to Jamie Smith, the outcome of the day could have been very different. Rizwan started with six and still has 37.
Pakistan vs England: England opted for the second new ball and were successful in restricting run-scoring. Bashir’s great accomplishment was in not giving up, ultimately leading Ghulam into making a hasty decision.
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