Abdullah Shafique hit a six off Shoaib Bashir to reach his half-century on Day 1 of the opening Test between Pakistan and England in Multan on October 7. The right-handed batter went down the track when on 47.
He achieved the milestone in the 24th over of Pakistan’s first innings. Bashir delivered a length ball, and Shafique advanced down the pitch, playing a lofted shot that sailed over long-on. He raised his bat to acknowledge the crowd’s applause.
You can watch the video here:
Full of confidence and excelling in style! ✨@imabd28 marches his way to a half-century 🏏#PAKvENG | #TestAtHome pic.twitter.com/JQUywoPA4B
— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) October 7, 2024
With his half-century, Abdullah Shafique bounced back after a series of low scores in his previous seven Test innings, which were 3, 0, 37, 2, 0, 0, and 4. The 24-year-old will now aim to make a substantial score against England.
Abdullah Shafique and Shan Masood gave Pakistan a strong start against England in the first Test
Abdullah Shafique and Shan Masood provided a strong start for Pakistan after winning the toss and choosing to bat against England. Following Gus Atkinson’s early dismissal of Saim Ayub, the pair built an unbeaten 116-run partnership for the second wicket. At Lunch on Day 1, the hosts were at 122/1.
A strong showing by Shan and Abdullah, whose fifties lead Pakistan to 122-1 at the end of the first session 🏏#PAKvENG | #TestAtHome pic.twitter.com/PwI9svd3Hi
— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) October 7, 2024
Pakistan will be eager to return to winning form after losing the two-match Test series to Bangladesh 0-2. The Men in Green have suffered five consecutive home Test defeats and haven’t won at home in their last 10 matches.
Meanwhile, England arrives following a 2-1 series victory against Sri Lanka. Ollie Pope is leading the team in the absence of regular captain Ben Stokes, who is still recovering from a hamstring injury and also missed the series against Sri Lanka.
England previously won their last Test series in Pakistan 3-0 and will be looking to replicate that success this time.
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