Masood, Abdullah centuries lift Pakistan to 328-4 in first England Test

Multan : Skipper Shan Masood and opener Abdullah Shafique both cracked centuries as Pakistan scored an impressive 328-4 on the opening day of the first Test against England in Multan on Monday.Masood’s brilliant 151 was his first hundred for four years, while Shafique also returned to form with 102 as the pair put on a solid 253-run stand for the second wicket after Pakistan won the toss and batted.England, led by Ollie Pope in the absence of the injured Ben Stokes, briefly fought back when they removed both Masood and Shafique in the space of just two runs in the third session.The visitors then took the second new ball at 308-3 and dismissed Babar Azam, trapped leg-before by fast bowler Chris Woakes for 30. Saud Shakeel was unbeaten on 35 at the close of play, with nightwatchman Naseem Shah yet to score.England’s attack toiled hard in the Multan heat, with fast bowler Gus Atkinson the most successful with 2-70. Woakes and spinner Jack Leach both took a wicket each. Masood scored his first century in four years to lift Pakistan to 233-1 at tea.The 34-year-old left-hander was unbeaten on 130 and opener Abdullah Shafique was on 94 as the pair put on a brilliant unbroken 225 for the second wicket after Pakistan won the toss and chose to bat.Masood had been under pressure to make runs, with his last hundred coming against the same opponents at Manchester in 2020 — 14 Tests and 27 innings ago.He pushed England fast bowler Chris Woakes for a single to complete his fifth Test hundred off just 102 balls with two sixes and 11 fours in a dominant display of batting.Shafique was equally assured as the pair made England’s three-pronged pace attack and two spinners toil on a batting-friendly Multan stadium pitch.Shafique has so far hit 10 fours and a six. At lunch, Masood and opener Abdullah Shafique hit half-centuries to guide Pakistan to 122-1 at lunch on the opening day of the first Test against England.Batting first after winning the toss on a greenish-looking pitch, Pakistan lost opener Saim Ayub for four before Masood with 61 not out and Shafique, who was unbeaten on 53, steadied the innings at Multan cricket stadium.England took a wicket in the fourth over when fast bowler Gus Atkinson forced Ayub to glove a shorter ball down the legside to wicketkeeper Jamie Smith with the total on eight.The visitors thought they had a second wicket when pace bowler Brydon Carse, on debut, trapped Masood in front on 16 and umpire Kumar Dharmasena gave the captain out lbw.But a review showed the ball had pitched outside the leg Stump. Masood went on the attack against Shoaib Bashir, hitting the off-spinner for four boundaries, before two more off Atkinson took him to his 11th Test fifty. Shafique, who survived being run out on 34 when Ollie Pope missed the stumps with his diving throw with the batsman short of his ground, smashed two fours and a six off Bashir to reach his sixth Test half-century. In all, Shafique has cracked five fours and a six and Masood has hit seven fours.Both teams have picked three fast bowlers and two spinners, hoping that the pitch will offer new ball help to the seamers before taking spin later in the match.