England’s bowlers were on song again, and this time they were led by Josh Tongue. Josh Tongue, who came on to bowl later on, bowled really well and cleaned up the tail as well, as he picked up 4 wickets, and the new-ball bowlers Ollie Robinson and Jofra Archer supported him well as Pakistan produced another disappointing batting display to be bowled out for 133 in quick time. Only Saud Shakeel showed resistance for his 43, while Mohammad Abbas down the order alongside Ali also showed some resistance for the last pair.
In reply, England too lost three early wickets, including Joe Root cheaply yet again. But half-centuries from Emilio Gay and Harry Brook, who is still out there, have put England firmly in the driving seat as they have already taken a first-innings lead on the opening day. Joe Root won the toss and decided to bowl, and the decision has proved right for England so far.
Josh Tongue & Co rip Pakistan apart in the morning session.Â
Put into bat first, Saim Ayub and Azan Awais came out to open the batting for Pakistan while Ollie Robinson had the ball in hand from England under overcast conditions. Robinson conceded 4 leg byes first up to Ayub. Ayub survived a scare despite not offering a shot as he was given OUT LBW. The batter reviewed and overturned the decision in his favour. Jofra Archer shared the new ball from the other end. Azan got off the mark with a handsome drive through covers for a boundary.
Robinson continued and got the breakthrough for England and his 100th dismissal in Tests as he got rid of Ayub for 0 off 10 balls. Ayub reviewed in hope and burnt a review for Pakistan. Abdullah Shafique came out to bat next. Archer continued as Awais drove the ball through covers for a boundary. Robinson continued and delivered a maiden. Archer continued and got the prized scalp of Awais for 9 off 20 balls with 2 fours to his name as he chipped it to Tongue at midwicket. Shan Masood came out to bat next. Robinson continued and bowled a decent over.
Archer continued as Masood pushed at the ball tentatively and got the outside edge through to the third man fence for a boundary. Robinson continued and got rid of Shafique for 3 off 16 balls with the outside edge carrying to Daniel Lawrence at the slip cordon. Captain Babar Azam came out to bat and got off the mark soon. Archer continued and got rid of Masood for 5 off 7 balls with one four to his name as he chipped it straight to the short midwicket fielder.
Saud Shakeel came out to bat and got off the mark straightaway with a triple down the ground past mid-off. Robinson continued and gifted 4 byes to the batting side. Gus Atkinson came into the attack as a first change bowler. He started with a maiden. Pakistan were 35/4 in 12 overs when we paused for Drinks in the morning session. Robinson continued after the break and bowled a decent over.
Atkinson continued as Babar looked to drive down the ground but got it off the inner half of the bat to the deep midwicket fence for a boundary. Shakeel got a life as Ben Duckett dropped a tough chance at slip. Josh Tongue came into the attack next. Shakeel took him on as he punched the ball through the covers for a boundary. Tongue then struck a decisive blow as he knocked Babar over for 7 off 18 balls with one four to his name as he was clean bowled. Keeper batter and debutant Ghazi Ghori came out to bat next.
Atkinson continued as Shakeel drove the ball on the up through deep covers for a boundary as the 50 came up for Pakistan in 15.1 overs. Shakeel got another boundary away as he played it with soft hands and the ball got the inside edge past the leg stump and away to the fine leg fence for a boundary. Shakeel was in the zone as he drove the ball through covers for a boundary. Tongue continued as Ghori upper-cut the short and wide ball over gully for a boundary.
England burnt a review against Ghori for LBW as the hosts lost a review. But Tongue got his man the very next ball as he dismissed Ghori for 4 off 5 balls with one four to his name as Tongue got another. Muhammad Imran Randhawa came out to bat next. Atkinson continued as Shakeel leaned into the ball and crisply through sweeper cover for a boundary. Shakeel took on Atkinson again as he threw his hands at it and sliced the ball uppishly past cover point for a boundary. Tongue continued and bowled a decent over.
Atkinson bowled a decent over. Tongue continued and got another wicket to his name as he knocked over Randhawa for 5 off 14 balls. Razaullah came out to bat next and got off the mark with a brace. Robinson continued and gifted 4 leg byes as a bonus to the batting side. Tongue continued as Razaullah pulled the ball into the deep midwicket region for a boundary. Razaullah got hit on the hand but managed to weather the storm. Razaullah looked to swing wildly, and that threw his hands at it as the ball went away to the covers fence. The 100 came up for Pakistan in 23 overs.
Pakistan reached 100/7 in 23 overs with Shakeel unbeaten on 37 off 38 balls alongside Razaullah batting unbeaten on 11 off 10 balls as players left the field for Lunch on Day 1 in Birmingham.
England bowl Pakistan out for 133; lose a couple of wickets in the afternoon session.Â
Saud Shakeel and Razaullah came out to resume proceedings for Pakistan while Ollie Robinson had the ball in hand for England. It took 3 balls for Robinson to get a wicket after Lunch as he got the outside edge and the catch was taken by Ben Duckett. Mohammad Abbas came out to bat next. Josh Tongue had the ball in hand from the other end. Shakeel took him on and cut the ball past sweeper fielder and backward point for a boundary. Robinson continued and bowled a maiden.
Tongue struck a major blow as he removed Shakeel for 43 off 47 balls with 7 fours to his name by cleaning him up. Mohammad Ali came out to bat at the end. Tongue completed a wicket maiden over. Robinson continued as Abbas thrashed it away over covers for a boundary. Tongue continued and bowled a decent over. Jofra Archer came back into the attack and bowled a maiden.
Tongue continued as Abbas opened the bat face and steered it to the right of gully for a boundary. Archer continued and bowled a decent over. Abbas managed to guide the ball past deep point for a triple. Tongue continued as Abbas flicked it away past deep backward square leg for a boundary. Abbas was in the zone as he squeezed the ball past Root at gully for a boundary.
Archer continued and got the big breakthrough of Mohammad Abbas for 21 off 36 balls with 4 fours to her name. He pushed at the ball and got the outside edge through to Brook in the slips. Pakistan were bowled out for 133 in 33.5 overs with Ali remaining unbeaten on 5 off 19 balls. 20 extras were given by the fielding side.
From England’s bowling point of view, Josh Tongue was the pick of the bowlers with figures of 4/42 in 10 overs. Ollie Robinson chipped in with 3/15 in 11 overs. Jofra Archer finished with 3/25 in 7.5 overs. Gus Atkinson finished with 0/31 in 5 overs. Now, it was England’s turn to bat in their first innings.
So, Ben Duckett and Emilio Gay came out to open the batting for England while Mohammad Abbas had the new ball in hand for Pakistan. Abbas started with a miserly over. Mohammad Ali had the ball in hand from the other end. Ali too bowled a quiet over. Abbas delivered another maiden. Ali continued as Duckett broke the shackles with a flick through square leg for a boundary.
Duckett again carted it away by cutting it to the deep backward point fence for a boundary. Ali had the last laugh as he dismissed Duckett for 11 off 15 balls with 2 fours to his name as the edge carried to Babar in the slips, and he won’t make mistakes. Jordan Cox came out to bat next.
Abbas continued to pick up bonus runs through overthrows given to the batting side with the keeper aiming a needless throw. Ali continued and bowled a decent over. Abbas continued and picked up his first wicket as he dismissed Cox for 4 off 6 balls LBW. The batter reviewed and wasted the review in the process. Captain Joe Root came out to bat next and got off the mark immediately. Ali continued and bowled a decent over. Abbas bowled a decent over as well.
Ali continued and delivered a maiden. England were 35/2 in 10 overs with Root unbeaten on 8 off 14 balls and Gay unbeaten on 6 off 26 balls as the hosts trailed by 98 runs with 8 wickets in hand as the players left the field for Tea on Day 1.
Joe Root departs, but Emilio Gay & Harry Brook’s 104-run stand drives home the advantage for England in the final session.Â
Emilio Gay and Joe Root resumed proceedings for England while Mohammad Abbas had the ball in hand for Pakistan after Tea. Gay creamed the full ball through the covers for a boundary. Razaullah on debut came into the attack next. The debutant got his prized scalp as he dismissed the England captain Root for 8 off 18 balls LBW. Root reviewed in hope and burnt one for England again. Harry Brook came out to bat next and got off the mark as well.
Abbas continued and bowled a decent over. Razaullah continued and bowled a probing over. Abbas bowled another decent over. Razaullah continued as overthrows as bonus runs brought up the 50 for England in 15.2 overs. Abbas continued as Gay punched the ball off the back foot through backward point for a boundary. Razaullah continued as Brook clipped the ball past deep square leg for a boundary. Brook was in the zone as he pulled the ball through deep midwicket for a boundary. Brook got to 1000 runs vs Pakistan in Tests.
Brook managed to get a triple away with a drive past mid-off, and then Gay joined in the fun with a cut past diving backward point fielder for a boundary. Another debutant, Muhammad Imran Randhawa, came into the attack next. Brook managed to guide the ball with an open face past second slip, and they came back for a triple. Razaullah continued as Gay creamed the ball through the covers for a boundary. Randhawa bowled another tight over.
Mohammad Ali came back into the attack as Brook climbed onto him by slashing hard as the ball went away to the deep backward point fence. Brook then tickled it fine past the keeper for a boundary. The 50-run stand came up between the duo. Imran continued as Gay leaned into the drive through point and cover point for a boundary. Ali bowled a decent over. Randhawa continued as the 100 came up for England in 24.2 overs. Gay flicked the ball through deep midwicket along the ground for a boundary.
England reached 104/3 in 25 overs, still trailing by 29 runs at Drinks in the final session of the day.
Ali continued after the break and bowled a decent over. Randhawa continued and overstepped as well but kept it under check. Ali continued and bowled a miserly over. Imran bowled a decent over as well. Ali continued as Gay got into the act with a steer down past gully and third man for a boundary as the bowler overstepped and then cut the ball to deep point, who let it go as the ball went away for a boundary to bring up his third Test fifty in 95 balls.
Abbas came back into the attack and bowled a quiet over. Razaullah returned to the attack as England got into the lead. Abbas continued as Gay got a triple past Ali at mid-on. The 100-run stand came up between the duo. Razaullah continued as Gay clipped the ball past deep backward square leg for a boundary. Razaullah struck and broke the stand of 104 runs as he cleaned up Gay for 60 off 114 balls with 8 fours to his name. Daniel Lawrence came out to bat and got off the mark straightaway.
Abbas continued and bowled a decent over. Razaullah bowled another brilliant over. Abbas continued and burnt the review against Brook for LBW as the inside edge was detected. Abbas overstepped as well. Razaullah continued as Brook got to his fifty in 70 balls, his 20th Test fifty. Abbas came to bowl the final over of the day, and he bowled a decent over at that. Brook remained unbeaten on 52 off 76 balls with 4 fours to his name while Lawrence remained unbeaten on 5 off 10 balls. England finished the day at 156/4 with 16 extras given by the fielding side in 39 overs.
4 bowlers were used by Pakistan. Razaullah on debut was the pick of the bowlers with figures of 2/42 in 9 overs. Mohammad Abbas finished the day with 1/37 in 14 overs. Mohammad Ali finished with 1/49 in 10 overs. Muhammad Imran Randhawa, on debut, finished the day with 0/18 in 6 overs. England lead by 23 runs with 6 first-innings wickets in hand.
What Lies Ahead on Day 2.Â
England are in the driving seat despite some sort of fightback by Pakistan with the ball. The batting from the visitors has been woeful to say the least. England will hope to drive home the advantage on Day 2 and bat big and once if possible. It’s all about damage control for Pakistan, to keep the lead as low as possible and then bat a whole lot better than the first day or throughout the series.
An intriguing Day 2 awaits us all, weather permitting, in Birmingham.
Also Read:Â ENG vs PAK: England Aims To Continue Dominance Against Pakistan