Pakistan Thrives on the Flat Multan Pitches - Pakistan vs England Test Day 1 Review

Pakistan is set to host England for a three-Test series, with the first two matches in Multan and the final Test in Rawalpindi. This marks England's second visit to Pakistan during the Bazz Ball era, following their emphatic 3-0 victory over Pakistan in their last series here. Confident of that success, England will aim to replicate their 2022 performance. Both teams enter the series on the back of defeats, but Pakistan's home loss to Bangladesh—where they were unexpectedly beaten 2-0—was particularly surprising. After that tough setback, Pakistan will be eager to turn their fortunes around against England, and it will be interesting to see how the series unfolds.

As the test began in Multan today, the weather was hot enough to play a test match. The players in the middle will struggle a lot due to the weather conditions. The pitch curators in Pakistan wanted this pitch to be a batting paradise. They have curated the flattest surface with some grass, but it's a dry wicket that won't help the new ball's movement, offering no help for the bowlers. Batters will have a field day out there. Keeping all this in mind, after winning the toss, Shan Masood chose to bat first. It was a good toss to win considering the conditions.

As the day began, it was even hotter, nearly 40 degrees. Pakistan's openers, Abdullah Shafique and Saim Ayub, faced the new ball handed over to Chris Woakes. In the first few overs, we could see some good line and length from the English bowlers, especially their recent star bowler Gus Atkinson, who made his mark straight away by dismissing Saim Ayub, whose struggles continued as he failed to capitalize on the surface. Pakistan captain Shan Masood, under tremendous pressure after his lack lustre performance in Bangladesh, knew that he had to make it count.

The partnership began, and the Pakistani batters looked comfortable in the middle, with both reaching fifty. This was Shafique's first fifty after seven single-digit scores in his past ten innings. Both batters looked well-settled as the first session of Day 1 came to an end. Pakistan scored 122 runs in just 24 overs, with Shafique and Masood scoring 53 and 61 respectively. This session was compelling for Pakistan as they are way ahead of England.  

During the second session of Day 1, England's bowlers struggled in the hot weather, finding it difficult to maintain consistent line and length. Even the spinners had trouble taking wickets and breaking the partnership. As the session progressed, Shan Masood impressively reached his 5th test century, attacking the England bowlers. Meanwhile, Shafique was steadily building his innings at the other end. At the end of the 54th over, the second session came to a close, marking tea time. Pakistan added 110 runs during this session, bringing their total to 233 runs at tea. It was another successful session for Pakistan, putting them ahead of England once again. Despite a better performance with the new ball, England struggled to take wickets. Pakistan ended the session on a high note as their captain completed his century.

In the final session, Pakistan looked strong with the partnership reaching 250 runs. It was the first time since 2019 that England had conceded 250 runs for a wicket. This was a significant achievement for Pakistan. However, the momentum shifted when English bowler Gus Atkinson broke the 253-run partnership, dismissing Shafique for 102 runs. Pakistani Captain Masood was the next to fall, dismissed by Jack Leach. English bowlers managed to pick up two crucial wickets after the break. Babar Azam and Saud Shakeel then built a 61-run partnership before Babar was dismissed LBW by Chris Woakes. This marked Babar Azam's 16th inning without reaching fifty runs. As the session ended, Pakistan finished the day at 328/4. The last session marked England's comeback, and they will look to carry the momentum into the next day. Overall, it was a fascinating day for batsmen, and from the bowlers' perspective, patience paid off.

End of Day 1, Score Summary Pakistan - 328/4 (Shan Masood - 151(177), Abdullah Shafique - 102(184) England - Gus Atkinson - 2/70