MULTAN: Pakistan were dismissed for a mammoth 556 in their first innings on the second day of the opening Test against England on Tuesday, after Salman Ali Agha hit a century.
Salman remained unbeaten on 104 — his third Test hundred — as last man Abrar Ahmed was caught by Ben Duckett off Joe Root for three after Pakistan resumed the day in Multan at 328-4.
Pakistan lost Naseem Shah (33) and Mohammad Rizwan (nought) in the first session. Saud Shakeel scored 82 while Shaheen Shah Afridi made 26.
The right-arm fast bowler smacked three sixes, denying England a breakthrough in the first hour, despite suffering hits to the helmet and his bowling hand.
Left-arm spinner Jack Leach was the most successful English bowler with 3-160 while Gus Atkinson and Brydon Carse took two wickets apiece.
Shakeel's 82-ball defiance finally came to an end when he tickled Carse to Harry Brook at leg slip, giving the debutant seamer his maiden test wicket.
Aiming for a century, Shakeel ended up being caught by Joe Root after making 82 runs off 177 deliveries in the 125.2 overs.
Additionally, with Carse delivering the fourth ball of the over, dismissed Aamer Jamal in the 128.4 over after he scored only seven runs for the team.
Following Masood, who made a century on the first day, Agha made 100 runs in the 145th over of the innings, after hitting 10 fours and three towering sixes.
The Men in Green standing at 549-9 witnessed Shaheen Shah Afridi heading towards the pavilion after making 26 off 49 balls.
The match, first in the three-match series, is being played at the Multan Cricket Stadium and is part of the ICC World Test Championship 2023-25.
England are being led by Ollie Pope in the first Test after the visitors' captain Ben Stokes was ruled out of the contest due to a hamstring injury in the Hundred League.
Moreover, James Anderson is not accompanying the team on their tour of Pakistan, as he is participating in Scotland’s Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.
The last time England were in Pakistan for a red-ball series, they handed a 3-0 defeat to the national side back in 2022.
Before that, the visitors had played 24 Tests in Pakistan, winning just two out of them making the 3-0 win much more remarkable.
Playing XI
Pakistan: Shan Masood (captain), Saud Shakeel (vice-captain), Saim Ayub, Abdullah Shafique, Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan (wicket-keeper), Salman Ali Agha, Aamir Jamal, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Abrar Ahmad
England: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope (captain), Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jamie Smith, Chris Woakes, Gus Atkinson, Brydon Carse, Jack Leach, Shoaib Bashir
With additional input from AFP