Multan (AFP): Skipper Shan Masood and opener Abdullah Shafique both cracked centuries as Pakistan scored an impressive 328-4 on the opening day of the first Test against England in Multan on Monday.

Masood’s brilliant 151 was his first hundred for four years, while Shafique also returned to form with 102 as the pair put on a solid 253-run stand for the second wicket after Pakistan won the toss and batted.

England, led by Ollie Pope in the absence of the injured Ben Stokes, briefly fought back when they removed both Masood and Shafique in the space of just two runs in the third session.

The visitors then took the second new ball at 308-3 and dismissed Babar Azam, trapped leg-before by fast bowler Chris Woakes for 30. Saud Shakeel was unbeaten on 35 at the close of play, with nightwatchman Naseem Shah yet to score.

Captain Shan Masood scored his first century in four years to lift Pakistan to 233-1 at tea on the opening day of the first Test against England on Monday.

The 34-year-old left-hander was unbeaten on 130 and opener Abdullah Shafique was on 94 as the pair put on a brilliant unbroken 225 for the second wicket after Pakistan won the toss and chose to bat.

Masood had been under pressure to make runs, with his last hundred coming against the same opponents at Manchester in 2020 — 14 Tests and 27 innings ago.

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

Shafique was equally assured as the pair made England’s three-pronged pace attack and two spinners toil on a batting-friendly Multan stadium pitch.

Shafique has so far hit 10 fours and a six.

Pakistan in command after a wicketless second session 🏏

Century for skipper Shan while Abdullah nears a ton 💯#PAKvENG | #TestAtHome pic.twitter.com/ENPC1Soihk

— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) October 7, 2024

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

Batting first after winning the toss on a greenish-looking pitch, Pakistan lost opener Saim Ayub for four before Masood with 61 not out and Shafique, who was unbeaten on 53, steadied the innings at Multan cricket stadium.

England took a wicket in the fourth over when fast bowler Gus Atkinson forced Ayub to glove a shorter ball down the legside to wicketkeeper Jamie Smith with the total on eight.

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

But a review showed the ball had pitched outside the leg stump.

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

Shafique, who survived being run out on 34 when Ollie Pope missed the stumps with his diving throw with the batsman short of his ground, smashed two fours and a six off Bashir to reach his sixth Test half-century.

In all, Shafique has cracked five fours and a six and Masood has hit seven fours.

Both teams have picked three fast bowlers and two spinners, hoping that the pitch will offer new ball help to the seamers before taking spin later in the match.

On the Texans’ third drive of the game, quarterback C.J. Stroud hit wide receiver Nico Collins with a deep shot. It was the longest pass play of the season for the Texans.

Collins got behind the Bills’ defense as Stroud launched a pass that traveled 59 yards in the air, and the NFL leader in receiving yards walked into the end zone to cap a hot start in Houston.

Collins was hurt on the play and went to the locker room, and his return was questionable.

Cam Akers scored on a 15-yard rush to make it 7-3 on the previous drive.

LAHORE: Mohammad Haris will be leading Pakistan Shaheens in the Asian Cricket Council Men’s T20 Emerging Teams Asia Cup where the national side is set to lock horns with last year’s finalists India in their opening match on October 19.

The national side will undergo a camp at the Hanif Mohammad High-Performance Centre in Karachi from October 11 to 15 before departing for the tournament set to kick off on October 18.

The side, scheduled to depart for Oman on October 16, also includes Abdul Samad, Ahmed Daniyal, Yasir Khan and Zaman Khan who will be representing Pakistan Shaheens for the first time, said the Pakistan Cricket Board in a statement on Monday.

Meanwhile, Samad featured for UMT Markhors in the recently concluded Champions One-Day Cup 2024-25 and scored at a strike rate of 122.88, whereas Daniyal playing for Nurpur Lions bagged 10 wickets and Yasir and Zaman featured for Allied Bank Stallions in four and two matches, respectively.

Eight teams will participate in the event with four teams divided into two groups. All matches will take place at the Oman Cricket Academy Ground in Muscat. Group A consists of Afghanistan A, Bangladesh A’, Hong Kong and Sri Lanka A, while defending champions Pakistan Shaheens are slotted in Group B alongside India A, Oman and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). 

Shaheens’ second outing in the tournament will be against hosts Oman on October 21, followed by their final group match will be against the UAE on October 23.

The top two sides from each group will qualify for the semi-finals scheduled to take place on 25 October. The final will take place on Sunday, October 27.

Shaheens squad

Mohammad Haris (captain), Abdul Samad, Ahmed Daniyal, Arafat Minhas, Haider Ali, Haseebullah, Mehran Mumtaz, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Mohmmad Imran Jnr, Omair Bin Yousuf, Qasim Akram, Shahnawaz Dahani, Sufiyan Moqim, Yasir Khan and Zaman Khan

Team management

Umar Rasheed (head coach-cum-manager), Imran Farhat (batting coach), Riffatullah Mohmand (fielding coach), Usman Hashmi (analyst) and Syed Mohammad Asad (physiotherapist)

Sánchez and his wife welcomed a baby boy days ahead of the All-Star pitcher’s start in Game 2 of the NL Division Series against New York on Sunday.

Sánchez, 27, earned his first All-Star berth on the strength of his regular-season performance, finishing at 11-9 with a 3.32 ERA and his first career shutout.

The birth of his first son — “BABY CRIS,” he wrote on Instagram — well, that trumped all his professional achievements.

“I think there’s nothing that beats getting home to my kid right now,” Sánchez said Saturday through an interpreter. “I’m just spending time with him, holding him every five minutes. Just all around, being all over him. That’s just something I can’t describe right now.”

Sánchez said his son was born Monday. He captioned a photo of the boy, named Cristopher, with: “Our dream baby is here. Mommy and Daddy love you so much.”

Sánchez got the nod over playoff-tested veteran Aaron Nola for Sunday’s start at Citizens Bank Park on the strength of his road vs. home splits. Sánchez went 7-3 with a 2.21 ERA in 17 starts at home. He went 4-6 with a 5.02 ERA in 14 road starts.

Nola starts Game 3 in New York.

Sánchez started just one game in the 2023 playoffs, throwing 38 pitches over 2⅓ innings in a Game 4 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks in the NL Championship Series.

His improvement this season was rewarded in June. The Phillies signed Sánchez to a $22.5 million, four-year contract extension through the 2028 season.

“It’s really amazing the steps that he’s taken, the growth that he’s had, not only physically, but mentally and emotionally,” Phillies manager Rob Thomson said. “The slider he’s landing. Gone deep in the games. Held his composure. Has had some innings where he could have fallen apart, which he’s done in the past, and just kept fighting through it, maintaining his composure and poise. He’s just grown leaps and bounds.”

In a season full of firsts, Sánchez can’t wait for his first start as a father.

“It was the best time possible. It all happened in perfect timing. I was able to go to the hospital and meet my kid, my wife, and just spend two days with them at the hospital,” he said. “All normal to me. The next day I just came here, did my throwing program, had a bullpen session, and it’s all been just regular for me, luckily.”