Pakistan stun England; Stokes out for duck as visitors run riot in 1st Test at Manchester

Pakistan has stunned hosts England in the first Test of the series in Manchester. The visitors first jolted a blow to Joe Root & Co. as they amassed 326 runs in the first innings of the game, courtesy of Shan Mahmood. Then the Azhar Ali-led side wreaked havoc with the new ball as the Pakistani pacers scalped three quick wickets including the priced one of Ben Stokes. Shaheen Afridi was the first to strike, after which Mohammad Abbas went on to pick two wickets. England are 28/3 at the end of 11 overs as the play at Day 2 nears end. 

Shan Masood takes Pakistan to a formidable total

Shan Masood gave a new lease of life to the Pakistani innings as he held one end tightly when his team lost wickets at regular intervals as he ended up scoring 150 in the first Test against England at the Old Trafford in Manchester. The opening batsman has stood in the middle like a wall for almost two days in overcast conditions where he tackled the terrific trio of James Anderson, Stuart Broad, and, Jofra Archer. He also used his feet well against the spinners and was rewarded for it handsomely.

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Unfortunately, Day 2 did not start on a good note for the visitors as an in-form Babar Azam was dismissed on the very first over without troubling the scorers and that was a much-needed breakthrough for England. Masood then took matters into his own hands and single-handedly toyed around with the English bowlers. To make things more complicated, he did not get any support from the middle-order as Asad Shafiq and wicket-keeper batsman Mohammad Rizwan were dismissed in quick succession as Pakistan went into the lunch break at 176/5.

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Masood received support from all-rounder Shadab Khan lower down the order as the duo added 105 runs for the sixth wicket before Khan was sent back. Jofra Archer then accounted for Yasir Shah and Mohammad Abbas off successive deliveries. Meanwhile, the southpaw soldiered on for the visitors and registered his 150 as Pak went into the tea break at 312/8.

Pakistan tour of England 2020

The Pakistani squad had reached England on June 28 for a bilateral series that was originally scheduled to be played from July 30 to September 2.

However, as per the revised schedule, the two teams will now lock horns in a three-match Test series that will be followed by a three-match T20I series from August 5 to September 1 as the reigning ODI world champions will be hosting Ireland in a three-match ODI series preceding the bilateral series against the Men In Green. Azhar Ali will be leading Pakistan in Tests whereas, the current top-ranked T20I batsman Babar Azam will be leading the former number one T20I side in the game's shortest format. 

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