PAK vs ENG | Pakistan surges past 550 with stellar performances from Salman Agha and Saud Shakeel

Debayan Sinha

ByDebayan Sinha, SportsCafe Editor

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Pakistan maintained their batting dominance from the previous day, with Salman Agha’s century and Saud Shakeel’s half-century helping them reach 556 runs. In reply, England experienced a rocky beginning, losing Ollie Pope early while Zak Crawley and Joe Root guided England to 96/1 at stumps.

‌After commanding centuries from Abdullah Shafique and Shan Masood, Pakistan were firmly in control, closing Day 1 at 328/4 in 86 overs. The overnight pair of Naseem Shah and Saud Shakeel resumed on a humid Day 2 with Shah adopting an aggressive stance and smashing three big sixes early on. Meanwhile, Shakeel brought up his half-century off 96 balls, pushing the score to 360/4. However, Brydon Carse broke the stand in the 106th over, dismissing Shah. Mohammad Rizwan followed soon after with a disappointing 12-ball duck, bringing Salman Agha to the crease. Shakeel and Agha formed a steady partnership, taking Pakistan to 397/6 in 112 overs by lunch.

Post-lunch, the duo shifted gears as the pitch began to offer assistance to the spinners. Their 57-run stand helped Pakistan reach 450/6 before Shakeel fell for a gritty 82 off 177 balls, with England's spinners striking back. Aamer Jamal failed to make an impact as Carse claimed another wicket in the 129th over. Despite England’s efforts to clean up the tail, Salman Agha and Shaheen Shah Afridi added a valuable 50-run partnership, taking Pakistan to 515/8 in 138 overs by tea. 

The home side maintained their batting supremacy as Salman Agha reached his century in 108 balls. The cameras frequently shifted to the Pakistan dugout as the team posted a total of 550/9, while England looked to wrap up the innings. Eventually, Joe Root dismissed Abrar Ahmed, concluding Pakistan's innings. England began their batting with Zak Crawley and Ollie Pope, as Duckett was sidelined due to injury after taking Abrar’s catch. The English captain struggled to make an impact, getting out in the second over after a spectacular catch by Aamer Jamal at mid-wicket. Nevertheless, Crawley and Joe Root steadied the ship for the Three Lions, pushing the score to 50/1 in 11 overs. By the end of the day, the hosts finished at 96/1 after 20 overs, trailing by 460 runs at the stumps.

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