–Pakistan reduced to 174 despite late heroics from Shadab Khan
LEEDS: Pakistan slumped to 174 all out after winning the toss on the first day of the second Test against England at Headingley on Friday.
Teenage leg-spinner Shadab Khan hit his third fifty in as many Tests before he was last man out for 56, with the 19-year-old’s half-century the major source of Pakistan resistance with the bat.
Stuart Broad led England’s attack with three wickets for 38 runs in 55 overs, with James Anderson (three for 43) and the recalled Chris Woakes (three for 55) also in the wickets.
Test debutant Sam Curran, playing in place of injured all-rounder Ben Stokes, ended the innings shortly before the scheduled tea break when he had Shadab caught in the deep by Keaton Jennings.
Pakistan captain Sarfraz Ahmed, ignoring the humid and overcast conditions, decided to bat first on what was a good pitch.
But it was bold move given that when England batted first in the first Test at Lord’s, Pakistan had dismissed the home side for 184 to set up a nine-wicket win that put them 1-0 up in this two-match series.
“This looks like a good dry pitch, that is why we are batting first. Hopefully, we will get a good score,” skipper Sarfraz Ahmed said after winning the toss.
Ahmed said there had only been one change in the side as Usman Salahuddin was replacing an injured Babar Azam.
Pakistan head into the second Test 1-0 up, after beating England by nine wickets in the first Test.
The green shirts are aiming for their first Test series win in England since 1996. The last time England lost the first Test in a home summer was in 1995 against West Indies.
On Thursday, Pakistan skipper Sarfraz Ahmed said, even though the team is performing as per expectations it still has “a lot to learn”.
“It’s a good sign that our team is performing as per expectations in all three departments. But we have a lot to learn and have to accomplish a lot,” the Pakistani skipper said while speaking to journalists at Headingley.
Squads
England (probable): Alastair Cook, Keaton Jennings, Joe Root (captain), Dawid Malan, Jonny Bairstow (wicketkeeper), Ben Stokes/Sam Curran, Jos Buttler, Mark Wood, Dom Bess, Stuart Broad, James Anderson.
Pakistan (probable): Azhar Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, Haris Sohail, Asad Shafiq, Usman Salahuddin, Sarfraz Ahmed (captain & wicketkeeper), Shadab Khan, Faheem Ashraf, Mohammad Amir, Hasan Ali, Mohammad Abbas.
