England clinch historic win over Pakistan in Rawalpindi: Key Stats
England beat Pakistan by 74 runs to go 1-0 up in the three-match series. The hosts needed 263 runs to win the Test on Day 5. The likes of Azhar Ali, Mohammad Rizwan, and Saud Shakeel shortened the 343-run chase, but it wasn't enough. Pacers Ollie Robinson and James Anderson stood out for the visitors, helping England clinch a historic win in Rawalpindi.
How did the first Test pan out?
Centuries from four England batters helped the visitors pile up 657 on a lifeless wicket on offer. In exchange, Pakistan racked up 579/10, with openers notching hundreds each. Spinner Will Jacks was the central figure with the ball (6/161). Later, Joe Root and Harry Brook's fiery half-centuries rallied England to 264/7d on Day 4. England shone on Day 5 to pocket the duel.
Crawley's love affair with Pakistan continues
English opener Zak Crawley put up an entertaining show, scoring 122(111) and 50(48) in the first and second innings, respectively. He slammed 28 fours in the fixture. He even breached the 1,500-run mark in Tests (1,535), averaging 29.51. Crawley now has three tons and seven fifties in Test cricket. Versus Pakistan, his scores read 53, 267, 122, and 50.
55th half-century for Root
Root, who was dismissed after scoring 23 in the first innings, made up for it with a sublime 69-ball 73 later. The Run Machine blasted six fours in what was his 55th half-century in Test cricket. He now owns 10,600 runs in the format at 50.00. Against Pakistan, Root owns 1,106 runs at 55.30. It was also his seventh half-century against them (100s: 1).
Brook lights up Rawalpindi
Brook bashed the attack on offer left, right, and center. The middle-order batter played Test-cum-T20 in both innings. He hammered a 116-ball 153, tonking five sixes and 19 fours. The right-hander followed up with an enthralling 65-ball 87 (4s: 11, 6s: 3) on Day 4. Brook now has 252 runs across three innings at 84.00. He has clubbed 32 fours and eight sixes.
Duckett returns with a bang!
Ben Duckett, who made a return to Test cricket after a long wait, notched a 110-ball 107 in the first innings. It was his maiden Test ton. The southpaw fetched 15 fours being out LBW by debutant Zahid Mahmood. Duckett, however, failed to get going in the second innings (0), registering his second duck in Tests. He raced to 217 runs at 24.11.
Pope floors the Pakistani bowlers
Ollie Pope was at his lethal best, churning out a ripping 104-ball 108 to help England rack up a 650-plus total initially. The number three batter whacked 14 fours as he blasted his third ton in Test cricket. Pope was dismissed for a paltry 15 in the second innings. He has steered to 1,611 runs at 32.22 (50s: 9).
Shafique-Imam keep England at bay
Pakistan openers Abdullah Shafique and Imam-ul-Haq truncated England's 650-plus tally by substantial margins. Notably, both struck their third Test hundreds. Shafique managed 114 and 6 in the Rawalpindi Test. He has racked up 856 Test runs while averaging a monstrous 65.84. Left-handed batter Imam belted 121 and 48 respectively. He holds 1,142 runs in 17 Tests at 38.06.
A unique record for Shafique-Imam
Shafique and Imam became the first opening pair for Pakistan to slam centuries in the same Test innings on two occasions. The pair breached the triple-figure mark in the Rawalpindi Test against Australia earlier this year. Notably, it was only the fifth such instance for Pakistan openers to clock hundreds each in an innings against the opposition.
Four centurions in a single day
Crawley (122), Duckett (107), Pope (108), and Brook (101*) completed their respective hundreds on Day 1. According to the ICC, this was the first instance of four batters scoring tons on Day 1 of a Test match.
Highest total in the first session
England raced to 174/0 before lunch on Day 1. According to Kausthub Gudipati, this is the highest total in the first session of a Test. They completed their 100 in just 13.4 overs, the fastest at the start of a Test.
Babar leads the show for Pakistan
Captain Babar Azam top-scored for the hosts with a hostile-looking 136 off 168 deliveries. His knock was laced with 19 fours and a six. It was his third ton of the year in Test cricket and eighth overall in the format. He was, however, dismissed cheaply in the 343-run chase, scoring four off five deliveries. He now boasts 3,262 Test runs at 47.97.
Shakeel puts up a fight
Debutant Shakeel, who managed 24* on Day 4, played out a fine knock to shorten the chase. The middle-order batter scored a gutsy 159-ball 76, hitting 12 boundaries. He clocked his maiden fifty in Tests. He was involved in a 64-run stand with Imam-ul-Haq before stitching a pivotal 87-run partnership with wicket-keeper Mohammad Rizwan (46).
Brook slams 6 fours in an over
Besides hitting his maiden Test ton, Brook entered the record books by smashing 6 fours in an over (off Saud Shakeel). This is just the fifth time a batter has done so in Tests (Sandeep Patil vs Bob Willis in 1982, Chris Gayle vs Matthew Hoggard in 2004, Ramnaresh Sarwan vs Munaf Patel in 2006, and Sanath Jayasuriya vs James Anderson in 2007).
England break a 112-year-old record
England racked up 506/4 on the opening day, breaking a 112-year-old record. They have become the first side to have slammed over 500 runs on Day 1 of a Test. In 1910, Australia smashed 494 runs against South Africa in Sydney. Australia recorded a similar feat in 2012, smashing 482 runs against the same opposition in Adelaide.
First England opening pair to add 200 runs against Pakistan
Duckett and Crawley scripted history by becoming the first England pair to add 200 or more runs for the opening wicket against Pakistan in Tests. They also became the second visiting opening pair to be involved in a double-century partnership on Pakistan soil. The duo joined India's iconic pair of Rahul Dravid and Virender Sehwag, who added 410 runs in January 2006.
Other notable records from Day 1
As per Opta, it was just the fifth instance of a side crossing 500 runs in a single day of a men's Test. This has happened only the second time since 1936. This is the fifth time that both England openers struck centuries when batting in the first innings of a men's Test. England last recorded this feat in 1990 (vs India).
