Pakistan’s pace spearhead Mohammad Abbas stood up when it mattered the most and put England on the back foot in the first session itself. Mohammad Abbas picked up the top-order wickets in the morning session and put England under pressure under overcast conditions as Pakistan exploited the early morning conditions on offer. It was not all doom and gloom for England, and Jordan Cox and Jamie Smith’s half-centuries revived them a little bit.
At the end of the first day’s play, England were 248/9 in 56 overs bowled due to a rain-truncated day at Lord’s, London. Pakistan will be the happier side at the close, but England aren’t far behind either, setting up an intriguing day 2 in prospect.
Mohammad Abbas’ triple strike sinks England in the morning session
Rain delayed the start of play, but the action finally got underway an hour and 20 minutes late at 4:50 PM IST and 12:20 PM Local Time. Pakistan put England into bat first under overcast conditions. Ben Duckett and Emilio Gay came out to open the batting for England while Mohammad Abbas had the ball in hand for Pakistan. Abbas bowled a probing opening over. Khurram Shahzad had the ball in hand from the other end. Gay was off and running with a drive square of the wicket towards the point fence. Abbas continued as Duckett drove it crisply past extra covers for a boundary.
Duckett was on a roll as he hung back and cut it square of the wicket for a boundary past backward point. Shahzad continued as Gay delightfully punched it through the backward point region for a boundary. Abbas continued and got the first wicket for Pakistan as he dismissed Gay for 8 off 17 balls with 2 fours to his name, as he was strangled down the leg side with Rizwan taking the catch. Jordan Cox came out to bat next. Shahzad continued as Duckett drove it crisply through cover point for a boundary.
Abbas continued and got rid of the other opener Ben Duckett for 17 off 20 balls with 3 fours to his name as he was adjudged LBW thanks to a successful use of DRS by Pakistan. The umpire gave it NOT OUT, but the decision had to be reversed. Captain Joe Root came out to bat next. Root survived an LBW scare as the umpire got it right this time as Pakistan burnt a review. Shahzad continued as Cox pulled it towards wide mid-on for a triple.
Abbas continued and bowled a tight over. Mohammad Ali came into the attack next. He should have gotten rid of Root, but the edge was put down by Imam-ul-Haq at third slip as Root earned a reprieve. England reached 35/2 in 10 overs at Drinks on the morning session. Abbas continued after the break and got the big wicket of Root as he pinged him in front LBW for 4 off 13 balls, and the captain knew it and did not review. Harry Brook came out to bat next and got off the mark with a flick through square leg for a boundary.
Ali continued as Cox drove it crisply between covers and backward point for a boundary. Abbas continued as Cox got a thick outside edge to the backward point region for a triple. The 50 came up for England in 12.3 overs. Cox then got the outside edge through the gully region for a boundary. Ali continued and overstepped but bowled a decent over. Abbas continued as Brook cut the ball past backward point for a boundary. Ali continued and overstepped yet again. Cox took him on with a shuffle across and drove it past mid-off for a boundary and then got an inside edge past Rizwan and away to the deep fine leg fence for another boundary.
Shahzad changed ends and bowled a tight over. Ali struck for Pakistan and got rid of Brook for 15 off 26 balls with 2 fours to his name as he knocked his off-stump over with a big gap between the bat and pad. Daniel Lawrence came out to bat next as the bowler overstepped again. Lawrence got off the mark with a double. England reached 80/4 in 18 overs with Cox unbeaten on 27 off 29 balls and Lawrence with him unbeaten on 2 off 6 balls as players left the field for Lunch on Day 1.
Jordan Cox & Jamie Smith lead England’s fightback in the afternoon session
Jordan Cox and Daniel Lawrence came out to resume proceedings for Pakistan after lunch, while Khurram Shahzad had the ball in hand for Pakistan. Cox was off and running as he punched the ball past backward point for a boundary. Cox punched the ball past short extra covers for a triple. Mohammad Ali had the ball in hand from the other end. He bowled a decent over. Shahzad continued as Lawrence got a streaky boundary away past gully. Ali continued and bowled another no ball. Shahzad continued as the 100 came up for England in 22.2 overs. Lawrence got a reprieve as Shan Masood put it down at forward square leg, a chance that should have been taken.
Ali continued and delivered a maiden. Shahzad continued and delivered back-to-back no balls. Lawrence clipped it to mid-on for a triple. Shahzad conceded 4 leg byes as a bonus to the batting side. Ali Usman came into the attack next and bowled a maiden. Shahzad continued and overstepped yet again. Usman bowled another tight over. Mohammad Abbas came back into the attack and bowled a tight over. Usman kept it tight. Abbas continued and kept things under check. England were 118/4 in 31 overs when we paused for Drinks in the afternoon session.
Ali Usman continued after the break, and against the run of play Lawrence was run out for 17 off 41 balls with one four to his name as a terrible mix-up happened between the batters. Keeper batter Jamie Smith came out to bat next. Abbas continued and bowled a quiet over. Usman kept things tight as well. Abbas bowled a maiden. Usman continued as Smith got the outside edge and went away past first slip and away to the boundary fence. Abbas continued and bowled another maiden.
Usman continued as Cox got into the act with a rock back and pulled it through midwicket for a boundary. He went again by pulling it past midwicket for another boundary and brought up his half-century in 88 balls, his second in Test cricket and in this series. Smith got into the act as he rocked back and punched it through cover point for a boundary. Ali continued as Smith flicked it away through midwicket for a boundary. Smith got the outside edge and went into the gap between Rizwan and Imam for a lucky boundary.
Usman continued as Smith rocked back and punched it firmly to the left of short extra covers for a boundary. Ali continued and bowled a maiden. Shahzad returned to the attack as Smith crashed it through mid-off for a boundary. Jamie Smith clipped the ball past mid-on for a quick triple. Ali continued as the 50-run stand came up between the two batters. Smith showed deft touch by hanging back and opening the bat face past second slip for a boundary. Shahzad continued and overstepped yet again but bowled a decent over.
England reached 180/5 in 44 overs with Cox unbeaten on 55 off 102 balls and Smith unbeaten on 44 off 53 balls as the players left the field for Tea on Day 1.
Pakistan, courtesy of Mohammad Ali, hit back with wickets to put England back on the back foot in a truncated evening session.Â
Jordan Cox and Jamie Smith resumed proceedings for England after Tea, while Mohammad Ali had the ball in hand for Pakistan. Ali bowled a decent first over. Khurram Shahzad took the ball from the other end. Smith drove the ball square of the wicket past backward point and covers for a boundary. Smith brought up his fifty in 63 balls. Ali continued and bowled another no ball but kept it tight.
Shahzad struck for Pakistan as substitute fielder Salman Ali Agha pulled off a blinder at second slip as Cox got the outside edge, to which the fielder flung himself behind to his right and took it with his right hand. Gus Atkinson came out to bat next as he flicked it behind square for a boundary. Atkinson got a triple with a pull down to mid-on before Smith whipped the ball way over deep square leg for a boundary.
Ali continued as Atkinson got the outside edge between gully and third slip for a boundary. The 200 came up for England in 48.5 overs. Shahzad continued and overstepped as well. Atkinson slashed it away between gully and backward point for a boundary. Ali continued as Smith punched it back past the bowler down the ground for a boundary. Ali Usman returned to the attack as Atkinson got a triple past the fine-leg region.
Ali continued and got the breakthrough as he cleaned up Smith with a straight ball between the bat and ball for 61 off 80 balls with 10 fours to his name. Ollie Robinson came out to bat next. Ali had two wickets in the over as he knocked over Robinson for a golden duck by cleaning the off-pole. Jofra Archer came out to bat next and got off the mark while Atkinson drove it square of the wicket between backward point and covers for a boundary.
Abbas continued as Archer took him on and went straight over the bowler’s head for the maximum. Ali continued and bowled a decent over. Abbas continued as Archer shuffled across and flicked it past deep square leg for a boundary. Abbas had the last laugh and got his 4th wicket as he knocked Archer over for 14 off 13 balls with one four and one six to his name as the ball snuck through to clatter the stumps. Josh Tongue came out to bat next.
He got off the mark straightaway before Atkinson looked to go leg side and got a leading edge that flew over the slips and away for a boundary. England were 248/9 in 56 overs when Bad Light stopped play. Subsequently, it got a lot darker and play was called off as well. Atkinson was unbeaten on 34 off 27 balls with 5 fours to his name alongside Tongue, unbeaten on 1 off 2 balls. 22 extras were conceded by Pakistan.
4 bowlers were used by Pakistan, with Mohammad Abbas being the pick of the bowlers with figures of 4/56 in 15 overs. Mohammad Ali supported him well with his 3/67 in 17 overs. Khurram Shahzad finished the day with 1/79 in 15 overs. Ali Usman bowled 9 overs for 34 runs. Pakistan with their slight nose in front at Stumps on Day 1.
What Lies Ahead on Day 2
For starters, let’s hope that the rain stays away, as the forecast for Day 2 at Lord’s in London is dodgy as well. Coming back to the game, England will hope to add a few more runs with Atkinson still there and get as much as possible before unleashing their pacers on the Pakistan batters. Pakistan will aim to get the final wicket as soon as possible, and then bat a lot better than what they dished out at Leeds. Conditions will be challenging for the batters for sure.
Pakistan are ahead and happier of the two sides for sure, but England are not out of it by any means. Their bowlers can bring them back in the match. An intriguing Day 2 awaits us, weather permitting, at Lord’s in London.
Also Read:Â ENG vs PAK: England Aims To Seal Series Against Hapless Pakistan