ENG vs PAK: PAK trail by 476 runs

ENG VS PAK Day 2 Test: Close Pakistan 181 for 0 (Imam-ul-Haq 90*, Shafique 89*) trail England 657 (Brook 153, Crawley 122, Pope 108, Duckett 107) by 476 runs

On the second day of their match in Rawalpindi, Pakistan openers Imam-ul-Haq and Abdullah Shafique harnessed up and shone toward England’s enormous first-innings total.

England were bowled out for 657 at better than a run per ball shortly before lunch thanks to Harry Brook’s continued success from his overnight 101 to reach 153 off 116 balls. The home team made it through more than two sessions unharmed. To the dismay of PCB Chairman Ramiz Raja, they staged an opening partnership approaching the 200-run mark on a pitch that remained a road throughout both days, with Imam scoring 90 not out at stumps and Shafique scoring 89. 

Throughout the middle session, the pair handled a spin attack from Jack Leach, Will Jacks, and Joe Root with class. This was in contrast to England’s fireworks from the previous four matches, but there were still glimpses of excitement. Shafique advanced down the field and bowled Jacks over long-on for Pakistan’s fifty, breaking a run of 11 dots from England’s only frontline spinner when Imam launched Leach over the rope at deep midwicket. Shafique reached his half-century with his seventh four of the innings, a magnificent drive to the cover boundary off Jacks. Imam followed suit, pushing a Root delivery towards cover for a single. 

As captain Ben Stokes set attacking fields, England bowled slow for 21 overs in a row. When Ben Foakes was unable to recover from the sickness bug that swept through the touring camp on match eve, Jacks took on the part-timer role that secured him a Test debut. Root played a role he has played many times before when England’s other debutant and occasional spinner, Liam Livingstone, suffered a broken knee that kept him off the field for much of the afternoon and evening. All of it was a prelude to James Anderson returning to attempt a reverse swing. 

There wasn’t a lot on offer from the restricted proof of the one he sent down before tea, nor was there anything else than a clue after the break, despite the fact that there was an opportunity. With the fifth ball of the evening session, Anderson hit Shafique in the ribs with a shot that kissed the glove and went down the leg side to Ollie Pope, who took over for Foakes. Pope dived to his left and made a great catch, but the on-field umpires gave preference to Marais Erasmus, their TV counterpart, and replays showed that the ball hit Pope’s glove just a little bit before going to ground. 

After Leach gave up 12 off the 41st over, Shafique hit a six down the ground, and Imam cleared the middle stump for four, Stokes tried to make an impact but the hosts held firm. By lunch, Pakistan had taken England’s remaining six wickets, but England had already scored 151 more runs and were 506 for 4, the most runs ever scored on the first day of a Test match. On Friday, Stokes hit another back over bowler Naseem Shah’s head off the second ball, bringing England’s total to 41 off 18 deliveries. On Thursday, Stokes had helped England surpass that mark with a brutal six over long-on off Mohammad Ali in the dying light. 

When Naseem took the pace off and struck the middle stump’s top, he was out after four balls. Haris Rauf, another quick, sat in the locker room with an ice pack wrapped around his right quad after rolling over the ball while fielding the day before. In the meantime, leg spinner Zahid Mahmood went through yet another agony. His four wickets cost 235 runs in 33 overs, making it the most expensive analysis by a Test debutant. Livingstone faced just three more balls before holing out to deep square leg off Naseem after lifting Zahid for six on the seventh ball he faced in a Test. 

Stream took to Zahid in a momentous over, which went for 27 runs. He reverse-swept a six over extra cover, swept the following ball fine for a four, and reverse-swept once more for a fourth. He also wasn’t done yet as he lofted the next ball for six back down the ground and hit the fourth ball for four through long on. On the final ball, Brook attempted to go big once more, but he misjudged and sent a top edge back over his head. The ball trickled away for three more runs, adding to Zahid’s woes. Brook scored 150 off Naseem’s next over with two fours in three balls, the second of which split the keeper and first slip for four. 

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However, he lofted an attempt to sweep the next ball to Saud Shakeel at deep square leg. Ollie Robinson took Britain past 600 with a six off Zahid down the ground before Jacks chose Naseem at midwicket off of Mohammad Ali after a 30-run appearance. Robinson failed to reverse Zahid’s lbw dismissal for 37, and Anderson missed Zahid’s googly straight to Imam at deep square leg, making him the last man out.