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Salman hundred pushes Pakistan up to first-innings 556

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Published in Cricket
Tuesday, 08 October 2024 04:39

Innings break Pakistan 556 (Masood 151, Salman 104*, Shafique 102, Shakeel 82, Leach 3-160) vs England

Salman Agha became Pakistan's third centurion as they put a commanding stamp on proceedings in the first Multan Test. Salman's unbeaten effort, following 82 from Saud Shakeel, took Pakistan past 500 as they built on the strong platform laid by Shan Masood and Abdullah Shafique on the first day.

England chipped away in the heat, but suffered a blow when taking the final wicket of the Pakistan innings, as opener Ben Duckett was hit on the thumb taking a catch at slip. He was unable to open the innings, with England sending him to be assessed and Ollie Pope moving up the order.

Pakistan had ground their way to 515 for 8 at tea, with Salman 21 short of a third Test hundred. He resumed watchfully before hitting Jack Leach over long-on to move into the 90s, eventually moving to his hundred from 108 balls. The ninth-wicket stand with Shaheen Afridi had reached 85, at which point Afridi missed a slog at Leach and the innings briefly descended into farce.

Salman added four singles to his score - while turning down several others - and Abrar Ahmed could have been out three times, with Jamie Smith missing a stumping and Gus Atkinson then dropping a skied chance at midwicket. Abrar was eventually bounced out by Joe Root, mixing up his pace, but the dismissal looked like being costly for England as Duckett departed the field clutching his left hand.

Pakistan had progressed in fits and starts during the morning and afternoon but Salman's judicious assault on England's spinners helped take them towards a position from which they could hope to dictate the course of the match - even against Brendon McCullum's Bazballers.

Salman was scoreless at lunch, but stroked the first ball after the break through the covers for four - bringing up the Pakistan 400 and signalling his own intentions. He came down the track in the same over to hit Leach through long-off, and was clearly in the mood to get the scoreboard clicking after Pakistan had added only 69 runs during the morning.

His battle with Leach provided a compelling spectacle, as England's most-experienced spinner was taken for four fours and two sixes in a four-over spell. But it almost went awry for Salman, with the first of his sixes coming perilously close to causing his dismissal: Chris Woakes thought he had done a good job as he backpedalled towards long-off, tossing the ball up as he went out of bounds to then return and complete the catch. But after lengthy deliberation and various replay angles, the third umpire, Chris Gaffaney, ruled that Woakes' foot was in contact with the ground outside the rope as he claimed the ball a second time.

With Salman taking the lead, Shakeel looked to build patiently. But he was undone for a watchful 82 from 177 balls by some sharp turn from Shoaib Bashir - a rare unplayable ball during a tough outing so far for the 21-year-old. Drifting into leg stump from round the wicket, Bashir found grip and then the outside edge, the ball deflecting off Shakeel's back leg to Root at slip.

Brydon Carse added to England's dividend shortly after, Aamer Jamal pinned on the pads by one that stayed a bit low. But with Shaheen Afridi for company, that was the cue for Salman to emerge on another counter. Having moved to his fifty, from 71 balls, he reverse-swept Bashir and then took him down the ground, before adding another brace of fours off Leach, followed by a single to bring up 500. In between, Ollie Pope added another burned review to the pile with an lbw appeal that was shown to have pitched outside leg.

Pakistan had been steered through the morning session by Shakeel, who notched his 10th 50-plus score in 13 Tests - but it was the unlikely figure of Naseem Shah who proved the major irritant for England.

Naseem, resuming his role as nightwatcher, made his highest score in any format of the game - 33 from 81 balls - and held up England's persevering attack for more than 90 minutes. His efforts, which included hitting three sixes during a stand of 64 alongside Shakeel, ensured that there would be no quick route back into the game for the tourists.

England's successes with the ball came in the form of a maiden Test wicket for Carse, as Naseem's stout resistance finally came to end, and a second of the innings for Leach. Pakistan were well placed but saw their ambitions checked just before the interval when Mohammad Rizwan drove Leach to mid-off to depart without scoring.

England had been encouraged after their toil on the first day by taking three wickets in the final session, including that of Babar Azam with the second new ball. That ball was still only five overs old when play resumed, with Woakes and Gus Atkinson looking to test Naseem's technique around off stump.

Naseem was beaten several times early on but kept his composure. His first boundary came via a controlled steer wide of the cordon and when he was drawn into edging one from Atkinson, the lack of pace in the pitch meant it bounced well short of second slip.

With Shakeel ticking along towards his half-century and Naseem settling into his unaccustomed role, England went spin from one end and short-ball tactics from the other. Naseem was hit on the back of the helmet by Atkinson, but far from cowing the nightwatcher it only encouraged a more expansive approach, as he jumped out to launch Bashir over long-on. Shakeel went to fifty - his fifth against England in four Tests - with a sweep in the same over.

Naseem, emboldened, soon eclipsed his previous Test best of 18, before twice depositing Leach beyond the ropes - the second an audacious inside-to-out hit over extra cover. The stand passed 50 and Naseem was outscoring his senior partner by the time he finally succumbed to Carse's round-the-wicket attack, edging into the hands of leg slip.

Alan Gardner is a deputy editor at ESPNcricinfo. @alanroderick

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