Rawalpindi: The first day of the Rawalpindi Test between Pakistan and England saw a thrilling contest, with Pakistan’s spinners once again dominating England’s batting line-up. By the end of the day, Pakistan had scored 73 runs for the loss of three wickets, trailing England by 194 runs.
England’s Batting
England captain Ben Stokes won the toss and opted to bat first, but his decision backfired as Pakistan’s spinners dismantled the English batting line-up. Openers Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley provided a 56-run start, but no other batsman could reach double figures except Crawley (29) and Duckett (52).
Nauman Ali and Sajid Khan led Pakistan’s bowling charge, taking three and six wickets, respectively. Jamie Smith top-scored for England with 89 runs, including six sixes and five fours. England’s batting struggled, with Ollie Pope (3), Joe Root (5), and Harry Brook (5) falling cheaply.
Pakistan’s Bowling
Pakistan’s spinners were relentless, taking all 10 English wickets. Sajid Khan was the pick of the bowlers, taking 6/89, while Nauman Ali claimed 3/55. Zahid Mahmood chipped in with a crucial wicket.
Pakistan’s Batting
Pakistan’s batting struggled early on, losing Abdullah Shafique (14) and Saaim Ayub (19) cheaply. Kamran Ghulam, who scored a century on debut in the previous Test, fell for just three runs.
Current Score
At stumps, Pakistan captain Shan Masood and Saud Shakeel were batting on 16 and 16, respectively. Pakistan trails England by 194 runs with seven wickets remaining.
England: 267 (Jamie Smith 89, Ben Duckett 52; Sajid Khan 6/89, Nauman Ali 3/55)
Pakistan: 73/3 (Shan Masood 16, Saud Shakeel 16; Rehan Ahmed 1/18)
Match Summary:
- Toss: England
- England’s changes: Gus Atkinson and Rehan Ahmed replace Brandon Cars and Matthew Potts
- Pakistan’s unchanged team
- Pakistan’s spinners dominate England’s batting
- Jamie Smith top-scores for England with 89
- Pakistan struggles early on, losing three wickets
