England smash 'record score on first morning of a Test', Pakistan thrashed for poor pitch

The Rawalpindi pitch has yet again become the talk of the town in the cricket world, following England’s explosive start to the first Test match against Pakistan. England kicked off the match in explosive fashion as they reached to a total of 103 runs in just 14 overs. England went on to claim the 200-run mark without losing a single wicket within 30 overs.

In the process, the English opening pair of Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett smashed a fastest-ever 150-run stand in the opening innings of a Test match. At the same time, the pair also broke the record for the most runs scored in the first innings of a Test match. Both batters went on to complete their individual centuries before the opening stand was broken by Zahid Mahmood, who dismissed Duckett on 107 runs. 

Pakistan slammed yet again for poor pitch

While Crawley smashed 122 runs in just 111 balls for England, Pakistan was slammed on social media for curating a poor pitch yet again. Former English captain Michael Vaughan was one of the many personalities who put out his thoughts on England’s explosive start. Shedding his views on Twitter, Vaughan said, “Has any team ever scored 500 on day 1 of a Test match ? Just asking ? #PakvsEng2022”.

At the same time, there were several tweets about the same by cricket fans. “Another flat, slow and dead pitch in Rawalpindi. Why PCB can't prepare a proper test match pitch? This time PCB management must take this seriously instead of behaving like clowns,” a user tweeted.

Pakistan vs Australia 1st Test at Rawalpindi ended with a draw in March

It is pertinent to mention that Pakistan earlier received heavy criticism from the cricket world for curating poor pitches during Australia’s tour of Pakistan, earlier this year. The first Test match between Australia and Pakistan in March 2022 concluded with a draw after an epic display of batting. While Pakistan declared their first innings on 476/4, Australia hit 459 runs in their first batting innings. 

The first Test match concluded in a draw, with Pakistan scoring 252/0 in the second innings before stumps on Day 5. Meanwhile, England is currently touring Pakistan for a three-match Test series. At the time of writing this article, England have amassed 264/2 in just 41.3 overs.