Multan Test, Day 1: Masood, Shafique hundreds help Pakistan rediscover home comfort

Pakistan vs England, 1st Test: Hundreds from captain Shan Masood and opener Abdullah Shafique helped Pakistan dominate the opening day of the Test series in Multan. England fought back with late wickets, including that of former captain Babar Azam on Monday, October 7.

In Short

• Pakistan reached Stumps at 328 for 4, dominating England on Day 1 in Multan
• Shan Masood hit 151 at a brisk pace -- his first Test hundred as captain
• Babar Azam got out for 30, failing to convert his start into a big one

After losing the plot against Bangladesh last month, Pakistan looked more assured with the bat on Day 1 of the first Test against England in Multan. With captain Shan Masood leading from the front, Pakistan posted 328 for 4 on Monday, scoring at a rate of close to four runs per over. On a hot day at the Multan Cricket Ground, England's bowlers toiled hard without success for the most part before taking three crucial wickets in the final session.

Shan Masood walked the talk and proved his naysayers wrong with a briskly-paced hundred, his first three-figure score in Test cricket since 2020. Masood's knock was crucial to Pakistan's morale as the hosts were under immense pressure in the lead-up to the series. Pakistan scored at over 4 runs per over in the firs ttwo sessions while England did well to not let the hosts run away with it in the final session.

Pakistan vs England, 1st Test Day 1 Highlights

Questions were asked about the dip in the quality of Pakistan's senior national team after they were blanked 2-0 by a visiting Bangladesh team last month. Masood faced the heat when addressing the press before the Test match. Babar Azam stepping down as limited-overs captain last week also added to the chatter and was seen as a potential distracting factor.

Masood hit 151 from just 177 balls, smashing 13 boundaries and 2 sixes as he soaked in all the pressure and transferred it to the England bowling attack. After winning the toss and opting to bat, Pakistan got off to a poor start as they lost opener Saim Ayub as early as the third over. However, Masood and Abdullah Shafique took the attack to a relatively inexperienced England bowling attack.

England, who won 3-0 in Pakistan in 2022, were without their big names in the bowling unit. Chris Woakes, who was playing his first Test in Pakistan, was the most experienced in their line-up. Gus Atkinson shone in his first Test outside home while it was a tough toil for debutant Brydon Carse. off-spinner Shoaib Bashir was taken to the cleaners in his first spell while Jack Leach kept chipping away with economical spells. Yet, England's bowling unit looked despondent and lacked spark on a good batting pitch.

SHAN MASOOD-ABDULLAH SHAFIQUE DOMINATE

Masood and Shafique added 253 runs for the second wicket -- the highest partnership by the opposition against England in the Bazball era, going past New Zealand's Tom Blundell and Daryl Mitchell's tally of 236 in Nottingham in June 2022.

It was a perfect song of ice and fire as Abduallah was happy to play second fiddle and support his captain. The right-handed opener also ended a nearly two-year wait for a Test hundred, boosting the confidence of the dressing room. He got to his fifty and hundred with sixes, flaunting renewed confidence in his ability.

Gus Atkinson provided a ray of hope to England in the final session by breaking the 253-run stand. He dangled a delivery outside the off-stump and Abdullah paid the price for a rare lapse in concentration after getting to his milestone.

Jack Leach struck soon after, removing Shan Masood, who gave a simple return catch to the left-arm spinner after reaching his second 150-plus score in Test cricket.

BABAR AZAM FLOPS AGAIN

Pakistan recovered from the two successive setbacks and looked to dominate the England bowling unit again.

Babar Azam, who walked in at No. 4, enjoyed the batting-friendly conditions and stitched a 59-run stand with Saud Shakeel. However, Babar was dismissed for 30 after missing a straight delivery from Chris Woakes in the penultimate over of the day. Babar was gutted after the dismissal and the Multan crowd, which hoped for a big knock from the former captain on Tuesday, went home with a bit of disappointment.

Babar has gone 17 innings in Test cricket with a fifty-plus score -- a lean patch that dates back to December 2022.

Naseem Shah was sent in as the nightwatchman and he remained unbeaten along with Saud Shakeel. Pakistan will be looking to bat long on Tuesday and post a mammoth total and put pressure on England.