Twitter Reactions: Babar Azam's replacement Kamran Ghulam 'ton' ups Pakistan to respectable total on Day 1 of 2nd Test
Pakistan finished Day 1 of the second Test on 259/5 after winning the toss and opting to bat first.
The second Test between Pakistan and England got underway on Tuesday, October 15, at the Multan Cricket Stadium in Multan. There wasn't the usual element of surprise at the toss as both teams announced their playing XIs on the eve of the clash.
Notably, the same pitch which hosted the first Test where England historically won by an innings and 47 runs was ready to welcome the two teams once again. Pakistan Captain Shan Masood won the toss and had no hesitation in opting to bat first. Abdullah Shafique and Saim Ayub played out the new-ball spell from Matthew Potts and Brydon Carse with caution but the former handed his wicket to Jack Leach in the left-arm spinner's first over.
Masood departed in Leach's second over as Pakistan were reduced to 19/2 in the 10th over. However, debutant Kamran Ghulam, who replaced the legendary Babar Azam for this Test match, joined forces with Ayub and the duo resurrected the hosts' innings by stitching a 149-run stand off 278 balls. The southpaw hit seven fours during his 77-run knock which was ended by Potts in the 56th over.
Saud Shakeel perished soon after as Pakistan lost two wickets in quick succession. The experienced Mohammad Rizwan came out to the middle and gave good company to Ghulam, who became the 13th Pakistani batter to score a century on debut. The right-handed batter got to the magical three-figure mark off the 192nd ball he faced when he hit Joe Root for a boundary.
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The 29-year-old was eventually dismissed by Shoaib Bashir in the 85th over of the day after scoring a magnificent 118 off 224 balls. His innings was laced with 11 fours and a solitary six. After Ghulam's dismissal, Rizwan and Salman Ali Agha saw out the remaining overs of play left in the day as Pakistan finished on 259/5 in 90 overs.
Here's how 'X' users reacted to all the action from Day 1 of second Test:
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