Abdullah Shafique Fifty in Vain as Pakistan Collapse at Headingley: Pakistan endured a difficult opening day in Leeds, losing all 10 wickets for 171 before England responded strongly to take control of the first Test. At stumps, England had reached 112 for two from 25 overs, leaving them 59 runs behind with eight wickets still in hand.
Abdullah Shafique provided the highlight of Pakistan’s innings with a composed 61 from 104 deliveries. The right-hander struck eight boundaries and continued his impressive run of form after his strong performance in the Port of Spain Test.
Pakistan’s start could hardly have been worse. Azan Awais was trapped leg-before wicket from the very first ball, while captain Shan Masood soon followed after also being given out LBW. With only six runs on the board, Pakistan were already in serious trouble.
Shafique then joined Imam-ul-Haq and the pair rebuilt the innings with a crucial 91-run partnership. Imam contributed 42 from 74 balls, including six fours, while also reaching the significant landmark of 5,000 Test runs during his innings.
Rain interrupted Pakistan’s progress early in the day, but after play resumed, Shafique and Imam continued to frustrate England’s bowlers. Their partnership finally ended when Josh Tongue dismissed Imam, triggering another collapse.
Saud Shakeel became the next casualty after being given out LBW against Ollie Robinson. Pakistan attempted a review, but the request came after the allotted time and was not accepted. Replays subsequently indicated that the delivery would have missed the stumps.
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From that point, Pakistan lost seven wickets for just 54 runs. Salman Ali Agha fought back with 21 from 29 balls, while Mohammad Rizwan added 12, and the pair shared a 32-run partnership. However, England’s bowlers eventually wrapped up the innings in 48.1 overs.
Tongue and Robinson were the stars with the ball. Tongue claimed five wickets for 46 runs in 9.1 overs, while Robinson returned figures of five for 51 from 18 overs, giving England complete control of Pakistan’s innings.
Pakistan did manage to make early inroads when England began their reply. Abdullah Shafique and the Pakistani bowlers dismissed both openers within 10 overs.
Ben Duckett scored 15 before Abbas Afridi trapped him LBW. Duckett reviewed the decision, but the ball was shown to be hitting the stumps.
Emilio Gay looked increasingly comfortable and struck seven boundaries during his 33 from 31 balls. However, he eventually edged a delivery from Ali to Salman Ali Agha in the slips.
That proved to be Pakistan’s final success of the day. Joe Root and Jordan Cox then combined effectively to take England safely to stumps. Root remained unbeaten on 37 from 53 balls, while Cox finished the day on 23 from 38 deliveries.
The rain-affected opening day ultimately belonged to England. After restricting Pakistan to a modest total, the hosts finished strongly with the bat and will now look to build a substantial first-innings lead when play resumes.
Scores at Stumps – Day 1
Pakistan: 171 all out in 48.1 overs
Abdullah Shafique 61, Imam-ul-Haq 42
Josh Tongue 5/46, Ollie Robinson 5/51
England: 112/2 in 25 overs
Joe Root 37*, Emilio Gay 33, Jordan Cox 23*
England trail by 59 runs with eight wickets remaining.
