Watch cricket video highlights of England tour of Pakistan 2024. First test between Pakistan and England. Venue of the match will be Multan.
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At the beginning of their series against England, the hosts showed a great deal of improvement, led by Shan Masood’s first century as Pakistan’s Test captain. On a day of high heat and hard yakka in Multan, England’s inexperienced attack was made to toil by Abdullah Shafique, who slipstreamed Masood to break a run of bad form with his sixth Test century. But there was no denying that this was Pakistan’s day. They were helped by a formidable top-order duo despite being without a victory in home Tests since 2021 and having suffered five straight losses.
Including a 2-0 humiliation against Bangladesh, since Masood assumed the captaincy late in the previous year. A steep learning curve faced an England attack headed by 35-year-old Chris Woakes, which had three bowlers who had never played in Pakistan before, including debutant Brydon Carse, in calm circumstances. The circumstances for the visiting side might have been worse because they were on the verge of defeat during the evening session when Masood and Shafique combined for an almost unbeatable double-century partnership that restricted Pakistan to 261 for 1.
But Babar Azam’s late wicket ensured that England could look back on their efforts with some satisfaction after a breakthrough from Gus Atkinson and a magnificent 151 from Jack Leach. The second-wicket partnership for Pakistan, which ended up being worth 253, occupied the most of the match. After England had dismissed Saim Ayub for a cheap total in the fourth over, Masood’s forceful innings—the second-fastest century by a Pakistani captain—and a more resolute effort from Shafique sealed the deal.
Talk of spicy pitches and a vulnerable home batting lineup had preceded England’s arrival in the nation. When Shoaib Bashir entered the bowling attack, Masood instantly picked up the pace, evidently trying to exert pressure on England’s number one spinner. His first boundary came from an edge off Carse. Following a non-turning ball that hit Masood on the pad, the morning session saw Masood smash four of Bashir’s next eight balls to the rope, choose a skip down the track, and blast through cover en route to a 43-ball half-century.
With the temperature hovering in the mid 30s C, Ollie Pope, replacing the injured Ben Stokes once again, moved through six bowlers over the course of the next two and a half sessions. That was going to be their only victory. Masood successfully overturned an out-of-bounds judgment on 16 for Carse, who had hit ninety-mph in his first Test match before tiring from the heat. At one point, when Pope had hit 133, a delivery from the same bowler had gone just inches past him. The only noteworthy strokeplay occurred in between.
Pope put him to the test with the short-ball strategy after lunch, and Masood might have been a bit lucky to top-edge Atkinson all the way over fine leg for six. Masood, however, reached the 90s with a more genuine loft down the ground off Leach. He then hammered the returning Woakes through cover point and then hit a single off the 102nd ball to record his first Test century after four years and 27 innings, dating back to Pakistan’s 2020 tour of England.
After six single-figure scores in seven Test innings, Shafique was looking for his form, and he overcame a cautious start when Woakes tormented him on both edges. The closest England got to breaking the partnership came in the morning session when Shafique chanced a nonexistent run to mid-on and Pope missed the stumps at the non-striker’s end. With lunch almost ready, Shafique attacked Bashir, taking his cue from Masood and tripling his score with a volley of 4-4-6, the last of which took him to fifty from 77 balls.
Even though he was not as smooth as the other one, the two remained quite calm as the stand continued over 200 deep into the afternoon. Pope’s DRS record as captain became 11-0 when he tried to review a catch at slip off Masood but was unsuccessful. Pope’s leadership abilities were once again tested during England’s 2-1 victory over Sri Lanka last month, following a few difficult moments in which he led the team without Stokes. Two wickets fell in the 17 balls following tea, suggesting that he was somewhat responsible for creating a mini-oasis in the middle of the Multan desert.
However, the heat was also a factor, as both batsmen were clearly experiencing cramps. Leach, who was trying to exert some control on the other end, was rewarded for his efforts during a run of three straight maidens when he got Masood to misread the flight and fling a return ball to the spinner. This was Leach’s first Test wicket since the January tour of India. Saud Shakeel and Babar put on a methodical stand of 61, with the latter two sweeping and reverse-sweeping three boundaries in a single Leach over.
But as the shadows grew longer, Woakes, playing his first overseas Test since March 2022, gave England a further boost when he beat Babar’s inside edge with the second new ball to secure an LBW decision that was confirmed upon appeal. It prolonged Babar’s streak of not scoring a fifty in a Test match to December 2022 and might be a crucial boost for Woakes in his quest to reward England for their belief in him, even if he averages over 50 when playing away from home.
Though there was an initial hint of green on the surface, Masood’s choice to bat (Pope stated he would have done the same) was quickly supported, even in light of England’s early success in eliminating Ayub. Woakes and Atkinson, England’s starting duo, didn’t have much opportunity to move the ball, so it was surprising when Ayub gloved a harmless-appearing short pass to the keeper. Shafique and Ayub’s dismal record as an opening duo was prolonged by their ejection, as they missed double digits for the sixth consecutive game.
After making a breathtaking debut in England’s home summer, Atkinson took a wicket with his tenth delivery of the trip. Before they received a second over, he and his teammates had to wait 56 overs.
Preview
There is some grass on the Multan surface, but on Saturday afternoon it was shaved. Because the square and outfield are far greener than they were during their previous visit in 2022, England does not anticipate the ball to reverse as soon. There might, however, be some low bounce, to judge by the practice strips. Crawley returns to the top of the order for England, but he won’t field in the slips because of a fractured finger he suffered in the summer. But Stokes loses out again, this time due to over-caution as he recovers from a hamstring strain sustained in August.
Carse, who is playing his first subcontinent Test since 2016, will make his debut alongside Atkinson and Woakes at the same venue where his Durham teammate Wood proved so effective two years ago. Jack Leach, who is playing his first Test since the tour of India in February, will be joining his Somerset teammate Shoaib Bashir. After the Bangladesh series defeat, Shan Masood has come under fire; nonetheless, he continues to play as captain for the time being and is a member of the same top seven that struggled against Mehidy Hasan Miraz and company.
The significant changes come in the bowling attack, as Aamer Jamal makes his comeback from a back ailment, and will reunite with Afridi and Naseem in what is usually considered as Pakistan’s finest seam attack. Khurram Shahzad, who claimed six wickets in the second Test match against Bangladesh, is unable to play because of a left side ailment that hasn’t healed completely. The statistics are so striking that even the guy has given up trying to challenge them. In 34 home Tests, Chris Woakes has grabbed 137 wickets at a world-class average of 21.59.
But in 20 international appearances, those stats are a more grounded 36 at 51.88 – and after being passed over for the India trip earlier this year, he had all but given up on ever being called upon in other lands. However, things happen quickly, and now that Anderson and Stuart Broad are no longer there, along with Stokes’ hamstring injury robbing the seam attack of one of its most seasoned players, the importance of Woakes’ expertise outweighs any concerns about his influence in these situations.
It should be noted that he is here on merit as well, having had an outstanding summer leading England’s attack with 24 wickets at 20.25 against the West Indies and Sri Lanka. He will go into this campaign with confidence in both his skills and his teammates. The batsmen for England, five of whom will play in their second Test match in Multan, will undoubtedly remember the star player from Pakistan’s inaugural visit two years prior. Abrar Ahmed may have been in for a surprise debut in Pakistan with his Harry Potter spectacles and a name that would have made headlines about wizardry.
Instead, he made a memorable debut by just tearing through the repertoire that had worked so well for him in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy. He claimed seven wickets in the first innings and 11 wickets overall. Even though England scored at over five runs per over throughout his 51 overs, this was partly due to the enigmatic nature of his approach, which involved hitting before being out, as demonstrated by a deftly thrown carrom ball that removed Zak Crawley from the game in the first innings. Find out from a friend—any friend—where England is likely to play a Test match this coming week.
Even the most dedicated cricket enthusiasts would struggle to follow such a ridiculous schedule, which culminated in a disappointing one-day series between Australia and England only last week. And now, without even stopping to change the clocks, they are once again embarking on their winter travels. They are headed to Pakistan, a country where England had not visited since 2005 and where they will soon have played six Test matches in less than two years—more away matches than even Australia and India have earned in a comparable amount of time.
It’s all extremely discombobulating – and that’s before we get sucked into the full weeds of this winter, with a white-ball trip of the West Indies now only three weeks away, and another Test series in New Zealand looming next month. It’s not surprising that Andrew Flintoff has opted to play a part in reviving iconic ’80s gameshows, or that James Anderson has decided to seize his golfing holidays while he can. There is already chaos on the international calendar. What’s wrong with a little extra dysfunction? Speaking of such matters… The hosts, England, are former masters of the chaotic.
Aside from their dismal recent track record of five straight Test losses, two of which occurred in a historic home series loss to Bangladesh last month, Pakistan’s particular brand of dysfunction was best demonstrated by the absurd prelude to this series, which included a near-daily stream of contradicting announcements regarding the preferred locations for the three Tests. Much to Brendon McCullum’s dismay, considerable consideration had been given to moving the series to Abu Dhabi due to the unavailability of venues in Karachi and Lahore and the pre-booking of Rawalpindi by an international conference.
However, back-to-back matches in Multan were ultimately decided upon late last month. Pakistan has never been a popular destination for tourists, despite the nation’s many undiscovered beauties, and given the current state of unpredictability, it is doubtful that this will change in the next few weeks. Many tour companies have abandoned their plans. Whatever your opinion of the build-up—or lack thereof—this match-up merits more than the little attention being given to it.
The last England tour to Pakistan in December 2022 was an incredible success, sparked by their aggressive batting in the first match of the series in Rawalpindi. However, the tour was typified by Ben Stokes’ outstanding leadership throughout, which included his well-timed declaration to force victory on that empty deck, his creative slip-free field placements to force out 20 wickets in similarly hostile conditions in Multan, and his unwavering faith in the rookie Rehan Ahmed, whose five wickets on debut in Karachi put a romantic cap on the campaign.
Since then, a lot has happened, not the least of which has been the development of England’s bowling assault. Anderson, Mark Wood, and Ollie Robinson—three of the tour’s main protagonists—will not be returning. Instead, their less-than-ideal substitutes, Chris Woakes, Brydon Carse, and Gus Atkinson, will form a seam attack that has played exactly zero overseas Test matches during the Bazball era. What’s more, with Stokes away through injury, the emphasis will be on Ollie Pope to create the same alchemy from the resources at his disposal.
Pope may have overreached during their final match loss at the Kia Oval, despite his three Test matches against Sri Lanka, where he acquitted himself admirably as a leader. This trait exposed the level of nuance in Stokes’ tactics that is occasionally obscured by the bluster of his team’s general strategy. Pakistan’s bowling attack composition is likely to provide them an advantage. The combination of Aamer Jamal, Naseem Shah, and Shaheen Afridi is, theoretically, their strongest assault in months and provides a cutting edge that was lacking for a significant portion of the 2022 season.
Even though Jamal has only played three Tests, they were all part of an incredible 18-wicket opening series in Australia, and Naseem, when healthy, may make England yearn for the 150kph exocets that Wood brought to that prior triumph. Once the sides hit the field and the well-known rhythms of Test cricket return to the forefront, the meaning of this series will undoubtedly become clear once again. But as of right now, it feels a little like cricket for the sake of cricket, with no build-up, no hoopla, and maybe even neither. Over the course of the next five days, the team that is best at parking that existentialism might very well grab a significant advance.
