Shan Masood, Abdullah Shafique give Pakistan strong command over England at Multan Test
The first Test between Pakistan and England commenced in Multan with a breathtaking display of batting from Shan Masood and Abdullah Shafique. Although both the opening batsmen scored hundreds, Pakistan rallied to a commanding position at 328/4 at the end of Day 1. A strong foundation gives the home team control in at least the beginning of the series.
Shan Masood’s fighting century
Shan Masood once again showed his class and temperament as he made a brilliant century against one of the good bowling attacks, England. He had to overcome some testing spells from England’s seamers as he built his innings getting set gradually. His hundred was really important to set up for Pakistan’s first innings. Masood’s innings had a great combination of solid defense and some counterattacking strokes that frustrated the bowlers from England.
Masood’s century in this Test just extends his good form of late and cements his position as one of the mainstays of Pakistan’s top order. His knock was interspersed with well-timed boundaries and some very calculated singles, showcasing his class on a testing Multan surface
Abdullah Shafique’s Maiden Century
Youngster Abdullah Shafique made headlines as he scored his first Test century in style to vendow it all with incredible maturity and patience. His innings was built upon a very strong partnership with Shan Masood, as together they sketched grounds aplenty that were solid for a big total from Pakistan.The hundred was important, not just for the team but also his burgeoning international career. His calm and composed approach allowed him to see through the early pressure created by England’s pace attack and shared the anchoring role with Masood. It was an important breakout innings from Shafique, one that sealed his reputation as a future star in Pakistan’s batting lineup.
A commanding position with Stumps
By the time stumps were drawn on this first day, astonishingly, Pakistan had built up an imposing 328 runs, having lost just four wickets. The centuries of Masood and Shafique took all the wind out of England’s attack, which struggled to find breakthroughs after their initial burst.A strong position for Pakistan, a befitting amount of grit and determination sans its openers, served them well. The English bowlers toiled hard, led from the front by their experienced pacers, but just could not find a way past these resilient Pakistani batsmen. Jack Leach, Ollie Robinson, and James Anderson were amongst the wickets for England, but they couldn’t stop the top order of Pakistan’s dominance on this day.
Next Steps
Day two of the Multan Test looks set to be a pivotal one, with Pakistan in a commanding position at 328 for 4. The Pakistanis will be hoping to build on the good work from their top order to work their way towards a big first-innings total that really tests England. Although the Multan pitch has given some help to the bowlers, it will have to be seen how it will behave on Day 2. The seasoned batsmen in lower middle order for Pakistan, including Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan, will hold the key in taking their total beyond England’s reach. As far as England are concerned, they’ll be keen to try and get some early breaks on Day 2, to keep Pakistan’s lead as low as possible and attempt a clawback into the contest. The Multan Test is slowly turning out to be a great battle between bat and ball with Pakistan holding the better hand so far following a stellar opening day performance.
Conclusion
Centuries from Shan Masood and Abdullah Shafique have given Pakistan a dream start in the first Test against England. Pakistan has taken dominance with 328-4 at stumps on Day 1. Day two will be very much awaited as the home team looks to press their advantage, while England seeks a way back into the match.
