With Pakistan piling on the runs on a docile Multan pitch on day one of the opening Test against England, fans were caught sleeping on the stands. A picture of the same went viral on social media even as Babar Azam was out in the middle playing some exquisite shots.
After winning the toss, Shan Masood elected to bat first as England seamer Gus Atkinson got the better of Saim Ayub in only the fourth over cheaply. However, the tourists had to toil for another wicket for the next 55 overs until Jack Leach broke through. Leach first dismissed Abdullah Shafique to break the 253-run partnership in the 60th over and went on to remove Shan Masood.
Pakistan and England playing XIs for the opening Test:
England playing XI: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope (c), Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jamie Smith (wk), Chris Woakes, Gus Atkinson, Brydon Carse, Jack Leach, Shoaib Bashir.
Pakistan playing XI: Saim Ayub, Abdullah Shafique, Shan Masood (c), Babar Azam, Saud Shakeel, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Agha Salman, Aamer Jamal, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Abrar Ahmed.
Having recently suffered a series loss to Bangladesh on home soil, Masood and his men are under immense pressure and they need a win to get their side back on track. Pakistan, notably, haven't won a home Test since 2021 and sustained a 3-0 series sweep to Pakistan in 2022.
