Masood, Shafique's attack puts England behind

Led by Shan Masood's first-ever captaincy and strong opposition from Abdullah Shafique, Pakistan took their innings to 233 for 1 in the post-lunch session without a wicket on the opening day against England in Multan on the first day. The duo extended their second-wicket partnership on 225 as the England bowlers struggled to get into play on a flat surface.

With an aggressive approach, Pakistan continued the treatment that the English batsmen had received in their previous trip to the country. England bowlers couldn't find answers on a surface that didn't offer them much help after the first hour of the day.

The England bowlers tried to launch the attack with short balls at the start of the second session and almost made a breakthrough in the first over when Shafique missed a move. But that didn't deter the Pakistani duo for long. While Jack Leach let the ball fly from one end, Carse continued his short-ball attack from the other end. Both Shafique and Masood suffered from the poorly targeted deliveries and were willing to play the pull shot.

Even Gus Atkinson couldn't unsettle them with his quicker short throws when he returned to attack, and there continued to be limits in the process. Masood, continuing to be the quicker of the two, pulled Atkinson for a six and then charged Leach to also hammer the spinner over the ropes. He started his first Test century in four years by knocking on a single.

As the scoreboard moved faster and faster, England struck with a setback when Masood was hit on the pads while missing a swing against Shoaib Bashir. But it was rejected. Towards the end of the session, the duo changed their plans and relied on quick one-on-one and one-on-one combat to keep going.

Earlier, Pakistan won the toss and elected to bat. Saim Ayub was strangled on the leg side and caught in the fourth over. But that was the only success of the morning session for England as Masood's attack soon put them behind.

Short results: Pakistan 233/1 (Shan Masood 130*, Abdullah Shafique 94*; Gus Atkinson 1-51) vs England