England versus Pakistan Test Series, 2024

3rd Test

Day-1 Evening Session Highlights:

Early breakthroughs has enabled the England team to neutralize Pakistan’s upper hand

At The Stumps of Day-1:

England scored 267 (1st Innings) vs Pakistan 73/3 (1st Innings).

After spending much of the day on the back foot, England’s bowlers struck thrice late to level the opening day of the final Test against Pakistan in Multan.

Among the three dismissals was Kamran Ghulam, the star of the previous Test, who couldn’t replicate his debut heroics.

A pacy nip-backer from Atkinson, the only pace wicket of the day, removed Ghulam on a pitch that offered little for seamers, as shown by Pakistan’s decision to rely solely on spin.

Abdullah Shafique and Saim Ayub departed cheaply, falling to Shoaib Bashir and Jack Leach respectively, as Pakistan’s openers continued to struggle with low scores.

Shafique fell to a sharp, low-bouncing off-break, while Ayub mistimed a flick off a turning ball, resulting in a soft dismissal to short mid-wicket.

Captain Shan Masood (16*) and Saud Shakeel (16*) steadied Pakistan’s innings with a cautious partnership, though the three English wickets reduced the impact of Pakistan’s earlier dominant bowling.

Sajid Khan (6-128) and Nauman Ali (3-88) were pivotal in putting England on the back foot, utilizing Rawalpindi’s sharp turn and low bounce effectively.

Sajid set the tone with the very first delivery, which spun sharply off the pitch.

Ben Duckett (52) and Zak Crawley (29) provided a steady 56-run opening stand, but once they were separated, England slumped from 56-0 to 118-6, as Sajid and Nauman kept their lines tight, exploiting the pitch’s uneven bounce.

Jamie Smith (89) and Gus Atkinson (39) then led England’s recovery, building a 107-run stand that frustrated Pakistan.

Both batters applied themselves carefully, later accelerating to T20-style hitting.

Smith played skillfully, using precise footwork and well-timed sweeps, while Atkinson also showcased resilience.

However, Nauman broke the partnership, and Smith, aiming for a century, fell to Zahid Mahmood in the 90s.

England closed their innings on 267— a respectable, if slightly below-par, score on a challenging track.

Pakistan’s early batting troubles suggest this total could be tricky, and it remains to be seen if the pitch will deteriorate further or simply slow down on Day-2, potentially aiding Pakistan’s batters against the older ball.