2nd Test, Day 1: Pakistan 259-5 (Kamran Ghulam 118, Saim Ayub 77, Mohammad Rizwan 37no; J Leach 2-92) v England
It remains to be seen whether Pakistan’s team selection, which before play had raised more eyebrows than hopes, was inspired rather than desperate but so far only one of their big calls has been tested and Kamran Ghulam was everything they could have hoped for.
The debutant enjoyed the dreamiest of introductions to Test cricket despite coming to the crease in a situation closer to a nightmare, his side reeling at 19 for two. The words slowly and surely could have been paired with his innings in mind, and he eventually fell towards the close having scored 118, helping his side to end the opening day on 259 for five.
Kamran’s selection came after an outstanding season in domestic first-class cricket last winter, a couple of excellent innings in the recent one-day President’s Cup and the complete collapse in the form of Babar Azam. The 29-year-old has plenty of experience but he also had the largest possible shoes to fill, and the match situation as he strapped on his pads cannot have helped his nerves, but there was no sign of them as he settled into his work. His first 15 balls brought four singles and a lot of neat defensive work; he sent his 16th down the ground for six.
Irish racing going all ‘béal bocht’ about prizemoney a hard sell ... and even harder listen
Mike Tyson’s glowering silence cuts through Netflix show noise
What time is the Katie Taylor v Amanda Serrano fight? Irish start time, Netflix details and all you need to know
Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano set to show true boxing values at strange big-money event
That was an exception in an innings that prioritised safety over ambition, for much of which he was more bothered by apparent cramp in his left arm than by anything England threw at him. His patience in particular impressed, and across 224 balls at the crease it let him down only twice: once when, after a dozen dot balls in succession, he rushed at Jack Leach and miscued the ball just beyond the reach of Ben Duckett at midwicket, and again when, after a run of 11 dots broken only by a single, he rushed at Shoaib Bashir – a tired, foolish and instantly regretted decision – and was bowled.
Kamran put on 149 for the third wicket with Saim Ayub, stabilising Pakistan after those early wobbles. As so frequently of late one opener fell cheaply and the other went big: in the first innings of the opening Test Saim fell for four and Abdullah Shafique scored a century; here Shafique managed only seven and Saim went on to get a smart 77, even if he survived a couple of times when the ball deflected off edge or glove and just out of a fielder’s reach.
If Shan Masood also failed with the bat he at least succeeded in what was probably his most important role. The day started with what in the circumstances was a crucial, potentially career-saving toss for Pakistan’s captain, given that his team’s game plan was largely reliant on them enjoying the best batting conditions at the match’s start and the best spin-bowling conditions at its end.
As the coin arced through the air you could imagine his dread at the prospect of England batting first on a still-placid pitch against a collection of part-time or backup spinners and a single, third-choice seamer, but as last week it fell in his favour; this time they had to make it count.
Playing, controversially, on the same pitch used for last week’s first Test England started with five overs of seam before switching to spin. Leach quickly rewarded that decision, becoming the first English spinner to take two wickets in the first 10 overs of a Test since 1889. But contrary to expectations there was life here for fast bowlers: midway through the afternoon Ben Stokes bowled for the first time, and soon England’s seamers had detected the scent of reverse swing and were following it excitedly, like a more athletic, monochromatically-clad version of the Bisto Kids.
On this pitch, selected and prepared specifically to assist spinners, England bowled 15 consecutive overs of seam, took two wickets and conceded only 40 runs, even though for most of that time half a dozen fielders were spread in an intimidating parabola around the batter, leaving wide expanses of empty grass behind them. In the process they fought their way back into a contest after a long period in which the batters scored slowly but seemed comfortable.
It was Stokes’s five-over spell that showed the way, but Matt Potts and Brydon Carse who took the wickets. Shortly before tea Saim blundered straight into England’s trap, rewarding Potts’s precision by lifting a catch to Stokes in that fielding umbrella. Then shortly after the interval Carse got one to move gently away and kiss Saud Shakheel’s edge.
That brought Mohammad Rizwan to the crease for an innings that started in bizarre and extraordinarily ugly style. Aside from one delicious sweep off Leach, for at least his first 50 balls Rizwan, who is 32 and came into his 34th Test with a batting average of 42.66, displayed little obvious evidence that he had any idea what to do with the odd-shaped stick he was holding.
Beyond the pitch’s mixed messages the biggest puzzle of the day was how Rizwan survived this period, though he should not have done: it took him 20 balls to score a run and then he edged his 22nd through to Smith, contact only the bowler heard.
Potts sought support for a review but received little, and Stokes shook his head not just then but again moments later when the big screen showed that it would have been successful. Rizwan, somehow, reached stumps unbeaten on 37 off 89. Pakistan’s plans for this game may have been born out of panic, but they are yet to cause any. – Guardian
- Sign up for push alerts and have the best news, analysis and comment delivered directly to your phone
- Join The Irish Times on WhatsApp and stay up to date
- Listen to our Inside Politics podcast for the best political chat and analysis
