England vs Pakistan, second Test: Key moments of Day 1
The opening day of the second Test between England and Pakistan at the Ageas Bowl fetched mixed results. Going into the Test, both the teams made notable changes in the respective line-ups. While Pakistan replaced Shadab Khan with Fawad Alam, the hosts drafted Zak Crawley and Sam Curran in place of Ben Stokes and Jofra Archer. Here are the top moments of Day 1.
How did Day 1 pan out?
Pakistan took a brave call to bat first in Southampton's testing conditions. The likes of Abid Ali and Azhar Ali duly rescued the tourists after they lost opener Shan Masood (1) early on. Notably, the former compiled a well-crafted 60 before Sam Curran removed him. Finally, Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan propelled Pakistan to 126/5 as rain stalled the day's play.
First Test appearance for Fawad Alam after 88 Tests
Middle-order batsman Fawad Alam played his maiden Test for Pakistan after a long gap of 88 matches (10 years and 259 days). This is the second-longest gap between two Test matches for a Pakistan player. Notably, former cricketer Younis Ahmed played a Test after a span of 17 years and 111 days, wherein he missed as many as 104 matches.
Abid Ali shows resistance against England seamers
Pakistan opener Abid Ali showed terrific composure at the top, having registered his third 50+ score in Test cricket. He finished with a 111-ball 60, a knock that was studded with seven fours. Abid now has 417 Test runs to his name at 69.50.
England fielders looked sloppy throughout the day
Hosts England looked sloppy in the field as the fielders dropped several catches throughout the day. Opener Abid Ali was handed a couple of reprieves, in the fourth and 14th over respectively. Interestingly, both the catches were put down in the slip cordon. While Dominic Sibley dropped a sitter initially, the second catch was spilled by Joe Burns.
The fast bowlers were right on the money
All the four England seamers were on the charge in the latter half of the day. Pace spearhead James Anderson provided them the initial breakthrough in the form of Shan Masood. He also broke the pivotal stand between Abid and Azhar and finished with figures of 35/2. Meanwhile, the likes of Sam Curran, Stuart Broad and Chris Woakes scalped a wicket each.
