England’s bowlers were forced to toil hard in the sweltering Multan heat but Ollie Pope’s side should be proud of their efforts on day one of the first Test, says Sky Sports’ Nasser Hussain.
England managed to take four wickets but not before Pakistan’s captain Shan Masood (151) and fellow centurion Abdullah Shafique (102) shared a mammoth 253-run stand for the second wicket.
The hosts were 328-4 at close of play with Gus Atkinson (2-70) accounting for a couple of wickets and Jack Leach (1-61) and Chris Woakes (1-58) taking one apiece.
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“You cannot criticise Pope and the bowlers, they stuck to their tasks, they gave it everything, that is as tough as it gets as a bowling unit,” said Hussain on Sky Sports Cricket.
“You can only do what they did today and England should be proud of that.
“You’re walking off thinking you did well and that’s the difference of playing at home and playing away from home.
“If you walk off in England and the opposition have got 328-4 first digs, a lot of the time you’re out the game with the Dukes ball and in English conditions. Here, you’re still in the game.
“Now, we’re looking at body language, speed, fitness and England showed positive signs in all of that.”
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Highlights of day one of the first Test between Pakistan and England
England’s pace bowler Atkinson was the first to strike removing Pakistan’s opener Saim Ayub (4) cheaply in the fourth over.
However, it wasn’t until the 60th over that England would pick up their second wicket with Atkinson having Shafique caught by Pope at cover to end a gruelling 56-over breakthrough drought.
Woakes struck with the new ball late in the evening session to remove Pakistan’s Babar Azam (30) and give England a much-needed lift at the end of the day.
Babar, who captained Pakistan during England’s previous visit in 2022, has struggled for form, scoring his last Test century in 2023 against New Zealand and his last fifty in June of the same year against Sri Lanka.
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Babar Azam’s poor form continues as he departs for 30 thanks to Chris Woakes
“If you’ve got a great player down, you have to keep them down, maybe not in the context of today or of this game, but in the context of the series, you have to keep their great player down for as long as possible,” added Hussain.
“England win or lose games quickly. They’re not used to such long toil in the field. This will have taken a lot out of them.
“Why was James Anderson such a great bowler? Not so much what he did at 11 o’clock in the morning but how many captains went to him or to Stuart Broad at 5.30pm in the evening, asking them to go again and get one before the close.
“It was a huge day for Masood, not just in terms of getting runs, but he understood the game situation. The moment [Shoaib] Bashir came on, he went after him. He looked in good order, there were a couple of leading edges in there but you’ll always have that.
“He looked physically fit, they ran hard. In the end, the way they ran actually cost them because they got so physically drained they started to cramp up.
“England’s bowlers are going to be stiff but that’s the game.
“As far as Test cricket goes, we can’t afford this wicket to stay flat for five days, this pitch does need to deteriorate and spin.”
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Gus Atkinson and Jack Leach remove the centurions during the evening session on day one of the first Test
England’s efforts in the context of their young and largely inexperienced bowling attack are also impressive.
They handed 29-year-old Brydon Carse his Test debut whilst 26-year-old Atkinson is playing in his first overseas tour and 20-year-old Bashir features in a Test series away from home for the first time since playing in India earlier this year.
“You can’t judge England too harshly,” said Sky Sports’ Michael Atherton.
“You have to remember that Test cricket in this part of the world, generally, you have flat pitches, and long hot days.
“It’s also a reconstituted attack with Carse and Atkinson so these are mitigating circumstances.
“Woakes also has a point to prove in overseas conditions.”
Patel: Hell of an effort from England
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England have their first wicket of the first Test against Pakistan as Saim Ayub departs early
England spin bowling coach Jeetan Patel also applauded the effort put in by the bowlers who had to toil hard for little reward on a flat wicket in 40 degree heat.
“Solid toil. I’m pretty proud of the boys to put in that stint in the last session. We spoke this morning about chasing the ball hard in the field, no matter what the day brings us,” Patel said on Sky Sports Cricket.
“That’s such an easy thing to do, but in conditions like this, it’s easy to stop doing. What the boys did tonight was brilliant. It was a hell of an effort from the boys.
“You always want one or two more [wickets], don’t you? Six down at the end of the day would have been amazing. But to have them one down at tea and take three wickets in the last session really sets up tomorrow morning for us.
“We always talk about putting two on it. If we put two on it, how does the game change? Pakistan have got a nightwatchman in, so maybe we could put three on it.
“Maybe that will be the thinking in the morning. We think about getting wickets all the time. Then, at 350-7… who knows? We can only judge the wicket once we bat on it.”
First Test: Multan – October 7-11
Second Test: Multan – October 15-19
Third Test: Rawalpindi – October 24-28
Every match from the 2024 Women’s T20 World Cup is also live on Sky Sports from October 3-20 with Australia aiming for a third straight title and seventh overall, and England seeking to triumph for the first time since the inaugural edition in 2009.
Watch day two of the first Test between Pakistan and England in Multan, live on Sky Sports Cricket and Main Event from 5.50am on Tuesday, ahead of play starting from 6am.