England defied by ton from debutant Ghulam

Second Test, Multan (day 1 of five)

Pakistan 259-5: Ghulam 118, Ayub 77; Leach 2-92

England: yet to bat

Scorecard

England were defied by a period connected debut by Pakistan’s Kamran Ghulam connected the opening time of the 2nd Test successful Multan.

Ghulam, successful the broadside aft the seismic axing of Babar Azam, made a splendid 118 to assistance the location broadside to 259-5.

The 29-year-old’s effort allayed immoderate proposition batting would beryllium intolerable connected a transportation that was besides utilized for England’s innings triumph connected this crushed past week.

When spinner Jack Leach reduced Pakistan to 19-2 wrong the opening 10 overs, determination were fears the Test would go small much than a lottery, implicit successful 3 days maximum.

But Ghulam shared a third-wicket basal of 149 with Saim Ayub, who made 77, past carried connected aft helium mislaid Ayub and Saud Shakeel successful speedy succession.

Overall, England’s spinners struggled and the tourists’ menace came from their seamers, including skipper Ben Stokes, playing his archetypal Test since July. Stokes, Brydon Carse and Matthew Potts were magnificent successful reverse-swinging the shot either broadside of tea.

Ghulam was capable to physique different concern of 65 with Mohammed Rizwan, the wicketkeeper crucially surviving an borderline disconnected Potts which England did not review.

In the closing stages, Shoaib Bashir bounced backmost from a hard time to vessel Ghulam, leaving the Test beautifully poised.

If the contented of Pakistan recycling the transportation from the archetypal Test successful the anticipation of getting a antithetic effect is debatable, determination is nary denying it created a fascinating spectacle. In truth, it was acold much watchable than England’s record-breaking run-scoring of past week.

The incredibly antithetic concern meant a measurement into the unknown, with nary 1 wholly definite however the transportation would play and the 2 teams responding with contrasting selections.

Pakistan’s gamble connected some the conditions and including 3 spinners mostly hinged connected their occurrence astatine the toss. England’s determination to tract 3 seamers was vindicated by the cardinal relation they played crossed the afternoon.

The events of the aboriginal greeting – England employed rotation from some ends wrong 7 overs and Leach had 2 wickets from his archetypal 16 balls – suggested a spin-dominated Test perchance completed successful the blink of an eye.

What followed was an arm-wrestle, with runs available, and gait important capable to suggest Pakistan whitethorn beryllium airy successful having conscionable Aamer Jamal successful their side.

Amid each the questions, determination tin beryllium plentifulness of assurance implicit the imaginable of the transportation deteriorating further – determination were times erstwhile the seamers had the shot rolling done - making England’s apt task of batting past each the harder.

On balance, Pakistan are possibly conscionable ahead, yet England inactive person the accidental to wrapper up the innings for thing manageable, past to bat good themselves.

For Ghulam, who was playing for Barnsley-based Hoylandswaine Cricket Club earlier this year, it was a monumental inquire to capable the shoes of superstar Babar and assistance vindicate Pakistan’s all-in strategy.

He responded by becoming the 13th antheral to marque a Test period connected debut for Pakistan successful a show of determination, composure and unthinkable skill.

After Abdullah Shafique was bowled and skipper Shan Masood patted to mid-wicket, Ghulam and Ayub dovetailed to blunt England. Both men were keen to onslaught the spinners and beardown connected the sweep.

Only erstwhile England reverted to gait did Ghulam look uncomfortable. As England applied unit aft tea, Ghulam tried to antagonistic and escaped the fingertips of Ben Duckett with a swipe astatine Leach connected 79.

Eventually, Ghulam was capable to hoick Joe Root to the mid-wicket boundary, reaching 3 figures from 192 balls, celebrating with precocious emotion successful the absorption of the location dressing room.

With the assistance of Rizwan it looked similar Ghulam would stay until the close, lone to tally past Bashir. If helium had not been bowled, helium would person been stumped by immoderate distance.

England had to persevere connected the archetypal time of the archetypal Test, conceding 328-4 successful a crippled they went connected to win. A week on, England battled conscionable arsenic hard, though whitethorn find this 1 harder to crook around.

Leach caused aboriginal problems earlier his effectiveness waned. Bashir struggled with his line. Stokes tinkered with the field, to nary avail.

The seamers were mostly held backmost until past the midway constituent of the day. Stokes, returning from a hamstring injury, and his Durham team-mates Carse and Potts got the shot to reverse and support low, creating a caller dynamic.

Stokes got originative with his fields, often with arsenic galore arsenic 7 catchers, mostly successful beforehand of the bat. Ayub patted Potts to Stokes himself astatine abbreviated mid-off and Carse recovered the borderline of Saud Shakeel.

How antithetic mightiness the time person been had Stokes granted Potts’ petition for a reappraisal erstwhile Rizwan edged to Jamie Smith? Rizwan had six and remains connected 37.

England took the 2nd caller shot and managed to support a lid connected scoring. It is to Bashir’s immense recognition that helium persevered, luring Ghulam into his rash stroke.