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England's era of 'Bazball' conceded its second-biggest total since its inception in the opening Test against Pakistan in Multan.
On Day 2, Salman Ali Agha's explosive show towards the tail end propelled Pakistan's total to 556. A swashbuckling performance from the 30-year-old allowed Pakistan to exude control over the visitors. He was the last man standing for Pakistan as the hosts posted a towering total of 556 on the board. Pakistan became the first team to post 550-plus total twice against England in Test format since Brendon McCullum was appointed as the head coach in 2022. In their latest venture, Pakistan surpassed New Zealand's impressive tally of 553, which was brought up in Nottingham in 2022. However, the hosts fell short of going past their 559-run total, which they brought up in Rawalpindi two years ago. Notably, on the previous two occasions, England defied the odds and stood victorious in each game. The Three Lions will look to bank on their previous impressive performances and emerge victorious in Multan. Pakistan's dominance came into existence on the back of the historic 253-run stand between skipper Shan Masood and opener Abdullah Shafique. With pressure mounting on his shoulders, Shafique rose to the challenge, took a cautious approach and eventually got the monkey off his back with an impressive century against England in the opening Test. Before fatigue got the better of Shafique, the 24-year-old slammed 102(184). Masood, who was the aggressor during their remarkable stand, garnered 151(177) at a strike rate of 85.31. On Day 2, by pulling off reverse sweeps from his arsenal, Salman effectively dealt the threat that England spinners carried. He continued his approach of blending aggression with a defensive mindset and slammed 104*, striking at 87.39. This marked the fourth occasion when three Pakistan batters scored a hundred against England in the same innings. (ANI)
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