PAK vs Eng: Pakistan resume second innings on first Test’s final day
Pakistan resumed the game on the final day of the first Test against England at the Multan Cricket Stadium on Friday.
At the end of the fourth day’s play, Salman’s crucial 41* on 49 deliveries and Jamal’s 27* on 48 balls took Pakistan to 152/6. The home team now trails 115 runs behind England’s total of the first innings.
The fifth day commenced with the Men in Green resuming their second innings against the Three Lions.
Previously, initiating the second innings yesterday, Pakistani batters were put into extreme trouble with the English bowlers bamboozling the home side.
Within 20 overs, Pakistan had lost half of their wickets including skipper Shan Masood who could only score 11 runs after his first innings heroics.
The home side landed in severe trouble on the first ball of the inning, as Abdullah Safique was dismissed for a golden duck against veteran Chris Woakes.
Later on, wickets of Babar Azam, Saim Ayub and Mohammad Rizwan toppled in the next few overs, leaving Pakistan at 59/5.
Things somewhat settled for Pakistan while Salman Ali Agha and Saud Shakeel were batting but it again went downhill for Pakistan when Shakeel fell in the 24.2 over.
Earlier, England declared their first innings at a mammoth 823-7 before tea on the fourth day of the opening Test against Pakistan on Thursday for a lead of 267 runs.
Harry Brook notched up a superb 317 with a triple century and Joe Root hit 262 as both batsmen made their highest Test scores on the flat wicket at the Multan Cricket Stadium.
It is worth noting that if Pakistan suffers an innings defeat on the decisive day, it will be first time in the Test history, that a team scoring more than 500 in an innings, have lost in the innings.
In addition, ending up victorious in the innings, but losing the Test, it will be counted as the 19th time overall that a team after scoring more than 500 runs in an innings have lost the match.
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