ENG vs PAK, 2nd Test, Day 1 Review: England take an early leap; Visitors playing the catch-up game

After that horrible outing at the Lord’s for England it was imperative they came back on a strong note in the second Test, and that is exactly what happened. With the bat and ball, they outplayed the visitors comprehensively and took a giant leap in the Test at the end of Day 1.

After winning the toss earlier, Sarfraz Ahmed elected to bat first, much to the surprise of their fans. It was a strange call considering bowling has been their forte thus far and the gamble didn’t work well. It took very little time for Stuart Broad to show his class and he sent Imam-ul-Haq back in the second over.

After a few overs, it was Broad again who did the damage. The other opener Azhar Ali was finding it difficult to settle in and eventually, an absolute scorcher from Broad rapped him on the pads and was adjudged leg-before. Pakistan were struggling at 17/2 in less than 10 overs.

A decent partnership between Asad Shafiq and Haris Sohail troubled the English bowlers for a brief period. But all that was too little to make a significant impact on the game. After Broad’s double-strike, this time it was Chris Woakes striking twice in quick sequence, sending both Shafiq and Sohail to the pavilion.

Sarfraz was dismissed by the legend of James Anderson, who once again managed to romp through a batter’s defense in style. Debutant Usman Salahuddin had huge shoes to fill in as he entered the game replacing the injured Babar Azam. The magnitude of the occasion got the better of him and Broad had his third scalp of the day.

With Faheem Ashraf getting dismissed to Anderson, the Pakistanis were reduced to 79/7 and they were all over the place. It needed a special knock for them to earn a respectable total and they got that from the teenage sensation Shadab Khan.

Shadab to the Rescue!

Whilst all the other batsmen were finding it difficult to cope with these incredible bowlers, young Shadab was batting on a completely different track. He played his shots and accumulated some invaluable runs in double quick time. If only he had better support at the other end, the story would’ve been completely different.

The likes of Mohammad Amir and Hasan Ali stuck with him for a while in the middle. Aided by their crucial support Shadab completed yet another Test match half-century, his third on the trot in Europe. Nevertheless, the total they posted eventually was not going to be enough.

Pakistan could only manage to post 174 runs on the board. It is a below par total on what is termed a really good batting surface with little grass. However, they had some momentum in their hand going into the second innings, thanks to Shadab’s pyrotechnics.

Cook and Root put England in a commanding position

It was a brilliant performance with the ball by the English bowlers and was well backed by their batsmen. Young Keaton Jennings came into the XI as England’s hunt for an opening partner for Alastair Cook continues. Jennings started off on a positive note but fell prey to some brilliant bowling by Faheem Ashraf.

Cook and Joe Root then steadied the ship and added a 51-run partnership for the second wicket. Root played terrific shots and is definitely on course to a big knock on day 2. Towards the end of the day’s play, Pakistan received a consolation gift as Cook was dismissed by Hasan Ali.

Barring that, it was an outstanding day for the hosts and they’re in complete control. They still trail by 68 runs, but it’d take a monumental collapse from here for Pakistan to gain back control.

Brief Scores

Pakistan first innings: 174 all out in 48.1 overs (Shadab Khan 52; Stuart Broad 3/38, James Anderson 3/43)

England first innings: 106/2 in 37 overs (Alastair Cook 46, Joe Root 29*)

England trail by 68 runs in the first innings.