Pakistani batsmen stand tall in the face of formidable total
Cricket
Pakistani batsmen stand tall in the face of formidable total.
RAWALPINDI (AP) — Captain Babar Azam matched the aggression of England batters on a lifeless wicket with his eighth test hundred and led Pakistan to 411-3 at tea on the third day of the first test on Saturday.
Babar became the seventh batter to rack up a century in England s first test in Pakistan in 17 years on a wicket which has been a focal point for its run-friendly nature.
Pakistan trails England by 246 runs after the visitors had posted 657 all out on the back of hundreds by Harry Brook, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett and Ollie Pope.
Babar was 106 not out off 132 balls for his third test ton at Pindi Cricket Stadium. It included 14 fours and a six before tea.
Debutant lefthander Saud Shakeel departed at 37 when Ollie Pope caught him on Robinson’s ball. Before tea, he denied England success in the second session by combining in a 121-run stand with Babar.
Earlier, openers Imamul Haq and Abdullah Shafique struck record-breaking centuries after Pakistan resumed on 181-0 before throwing away their wickets to Leach and Will Jacks.
Azhar Ali (27) got a life when Crawley couldn’t grasp a difficult chance against James Anderson before he was trapped leg before wicket by Leach after England took the second new ball immediately after 80 overs.
Left-handed Imam, who made centuries in each innings during the drawn test against Australia in March at the same venue, scored 121 off 207 balls. Shafique, centurion in the same test against Australia, also played a conventional test match-like 114 off 203 balls.
It was the first time in test history that openers from both teams had scored centuries in the first innings after England openers Crawley and Duckett struck hundreds in England’s 506-4 on the first day.
The grassless pitch has even been criticised by Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Ramiz Raja as not a good advert for test cricket.
