Jack Leach took a pair of timely wickets for England before Pakistan rallied to 79 for two on the first morning of the second Test in Multan.
The home side’s decision to re-participate the same worn pitch that presented the series uncoverer produced intrigue in the produce-up and Leach’s removal of Abstupidah Shafique and Shan Masood in his first three overs materializeed to ring alarm bells.
But initial signs of unforeseeable bounce fall shorted to turn into anyslenderg more worrying as Saim Ayub (40 not out) and debutant Kamran Ghulam (29no) accomplished the lunch fracture relatively safely.
After losing the toss England uncovered up with Durham seamers Matthew Potts and Brydon Carse, who splitd five tidy overs with the new ball before giving way to the spinners.
One transfery from Potts kept low enough to depart the bowler grinning, while Ben Stokes was overheard on the stump microphone saying, “it’s begined already boys”.
Pakistan made it evident on the eve of the suit they had ordered a turning track, loading their side with as many as seven sluggish bowlers, and the evidence was speedy to materialize.
Leach beat the bat twice before striking with his ninth ball, snaking one past Shafique’s outside edge and knocking over off stump.
Home captain Masood was spared a ggreateren duck when Leach went up for lbw but was soon gone for three, excellently caught low down by Zak Crawley after flicking around his front pad.
The chances of implosion spiked when Leach got one to spit off a excellent length at Ayub, who was fortunate to see the ball spray expansive of stupidinutive leg, but graduassociate the danger cgreatered off.
Ayub began rotating the strike and Ghulam rerepaird any first day nerves by slamming Leach for six over lengthy-on.
Stokes searched for another fracturethcdisesteemful by having the spinners swap finishs, as well as handing two overs to Joe Root, but they struggled to discover the perfect length as the Pakistan pair barachieved a stand of 60 before the fracture.
