Shan Masood scores for the first time in four years to take Pakistan to 233-1 at Multan soil – Sport

Captain Shan Masood scored his first century in four years on the opening day of the first Test against England on Monday to take 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 posted a brilliant unbroken 225 for the second wicket after Pakistan won the toss and elected to bat.

Masood has been under pressure to score runs and his last hundred came against the same opponents in Manchester in 2020 – 14 Tests and 27 innings ago.

He pushed England fast bowler Chris Woakes into a single to complete his fifth Test hundred in just 102 balls with two sixes and 11 fours in a dominant batting performance.

Shafique was equally assured as the pair carried out England's three-pronged pace attack, with two spinners toiling on the batting-friendly Multan Stadium pitch.

Shafique has hit ten fours and a six so far.

At lunch, Masood and opener Abdullah Shafique scored half-centuries to take Pakistan to 122-1 on the opening day of the first Test against England.

After winning the toss on a greenish-looking pitch, Pakistan batted first and lost opener Saim Ayub for four before Masood, on 61 not out, and Shafique, unbeaten on 53, steadied the innings at the Multan Cricket Stadium.

England took a wicket in the fourth over when fast bowler Gus Atkinson forced Ayub to pass a shorter ball down the leg side to wicketkeeper Jamie Smith, making the total eight.

The visitors thought they had a second wicket when pace bowler Brydon Carse, on his debut, took Masood ahead on the 16th and umpire Kumar Dharmasena gave out the captain lbw.

However, a check revealed that the ball had landed outside leg stump.

Masood went on the attack against Shoaib Bashir, hitting the off-spinner for four boundaries before two more from Atkinson took him to his 11th Test fifty.

Shafique, who survived being bowled out on 34 when Ollie Pope's jump shot missed the stumps while the batsman was close to his ground, smashed two fours and a six off Bashir to reach his sixth Test half-century.

In total, Shafique hit five fours and a six and Masood hit seven fours.

Both teams have selected three fast bowlers and two spinners in the hope that the pitch will provide new ball support to the seamers before they get spin later in the game.