Ghulam’s debut century carries Pakistan as England stay in touch

Close Pakistan 259 for 5 (Ghulam 118, Ayub 77) vs England

Though he fell late in the day for 118, bowled by Shoaib Bashir as he looked to stay proactive with the close of play looming, Ghulam’s debut efforts helped to lift Pakistan to 259 for 5 – scarcely riches by the standards that England were dishing up on this very same surface last week, but the beginnings of a score nonetheless.

Despite Pakistan’s experience in the first Test, when their first-innings 556 ended up on the wrong side of an innings defeat, Ghulam’s resolute efforts – allied to a career-best 77 from Saim Ayub and an atypically entrenched 37 not out from Mohammad Rizwan – kept Pakistan on course for the sort of 300-plus score that could yet be competitive if their spin-heavy attack can take advantage of a pitch that had been heavily watered and dried with industrial fans in the four-day turnaround between Tests.

The danger for Pakistan, however, may yet come from the weapons that they won’t be able to deploy. Despite two early wickets for Jack Leach, who has now claimed nine in three innings on this surface to reassert his status as England’s senior spinner, their most pronounced threat came through a mid-afternoon spell of reverse-swing, excellently harnessed by a three-pronged seam attack. Uniquely, all three hail from Durham, among them Ben Stokes, who was back to lead the team for the first time since his hamstring tear in August. In opting to ditch both Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah for this contest, much will be resting on their lone quick, Aamer Jamal, if Pakistan hope to utilise similar skills.

More to follow…

Tea Pakistan 173 for 3 (Ayub 77, Ghulam 75*, Leach 2-62) vs England

Kamran Ghulam became only the second Pakistan batter to score a fifty in his debut innings against England, while Saim Ayub registered his Test-best of 77, as Pakistan overcome the loss of two early wickets to reach tea on a promising 173 for 3 in the second Test in Multan.

However, given England’s achievement in last week’s first Test, in which they overhauled Pakistan’s first-innings 556 to win by an innings with more than two sessions to spare, the loss of Ayub in the penultimate over before tea was a grievous blow to Pakistan’s morale, especially with England’s seamers beginning to exploit some appreciable reverse-swing in the hot and dry conditions.

And yet, on a re-used surface that had been heavily watered and dried with industrial fans in the four-day turnaround between Tests, Pakistan’s platform was about as good as Shan Masood could have wished for, after winning an important toss and choosing to take first use.

The signs had looked ominous for Pakistan at 19 for 2 after Jack Leach had struck twice with the still-new ball, in the process becoming the first England spinner to take two wickets in the first ten overs of a Test match since Johnny Briggs in 1889.

But in easing through to a hugely composed 75 from 145 balls by the interval, Ghulam recorded a milestone that had eluded his more illustrious compatriot, Babar Azam, in the 18 out-of-form innings that had resulted in his omission. And until he misjudged a drive off Matthew Potts with the interval looming, Ayub had been an equal partner in their key stand of 149 in 49.2 overs, as he registered his third Test half-century, and his third in four first innings, after twin starts against Bangladesh last month.

After England had lost their seventh toss in consecutive Tests, it took Ben Stokes just five overs to size up the conditions. He quickly put his new-ball seamers, Potts and Brydon Carse, out to pasture and turned instead to his twin spinners, Leach and Shoaib Bashir, who would bowl 19 of the next 21 overs between them, with Joe Root’s exploratory overs enabling the two to switch ends.

Leach had already shown his relative liking for this surface with seven wickets in the first Test, including each of the last four to fall in Pakistan’s second-innings collapse on days four and five of that match. Sure enough, day six played to his probing strengths too, as he quickly made it six in a row to leave Pakistan fearing another game-breaking meltdown.

His first victim was Abdullah Shafique, a centurion in the first innings last week, but once again under fire, largely as a consequence of his misfiring opening stand with Ayub. The pair had realised a highest stand of 8, and an average of 2.67, in eight previous innings together, and though they all but doubled that tally in taking the score along to 15, Leach then ripped a sharp spinner past Shafique’s outside edge before nailing his off stump one ball later, as Shafique poked uncertainly down the wrong line for 7.

Masood then came and went before Leach’s subsequent over was complete, as Stokes – forever tinkering with his field and ever-eager to dispense with convention – brought his short midwicket a touch straighter to invite the flick across the line, and struck one ball later, as Zak Crawley swooped to scoop a low clip from outside off.

Ghulam, however, showed few nerves as he showcased a technique that has earned him more than 4500 first-class runs at an average of 49 in Pakistan’s domestic competitions. His first boundary was a sweetly struck drive back over Leach’s head for six, and though he was nearly bowled by Leach for 40 as he heaved into a slog-sweep, he was for the most part judicious in his use of release shots, as he trusted the instincts that had finally earned him recognition at the age of 29.

Ghulam had faced just two deliveries of fast bowling in his first 120, however, when Stokes brought himself into the attack midway through the afternoon, and the challenge instantly went up a notch. In his first over, Stokes found a fat edge that flew at a catchable height through the vacant slip cordon, and when a second edge fell short soon afterwards, Root found himself donning a helmet four yards from the bat in a bid to make any further chance count.

The breakthrough, however, arrived at the other end. Ayub might have had half an eye on tea when Potts began to threaten his outside edge with a diet of hooping outswingers from over the wicket. Stokes had positioned himself at a very straight silly mid-off, almost on the toes of the non-striker, when Ayub pushed too firmly through the line, and gave England a priceless breakthrough.