Pak vs Eng 2nd Test, Day 1: Bowlers Put England On Top; Pakistan Reach 126/5 Before Rain Forces Early Stumps

Players were forced to step off the field for the third time in the day due to rain. Finally, after an hour long wait, the umpires finally decided to call off the day's play.

Photo: @ICC (Twitter)

A remarkable turnaround from the bowlers helped England finish the day on top. The lethal bowling attack lead by veteran James Anderson claimed three late wickets for 41 runs in 1.5 overs at Stumps on Day 1 of the first Test at Southampton on Thursday. Mohammad Rizwan remained not out on 4 and Babar Azam was still batting on 25 off 51 balls as Pakistan reached 126/5 before rain forced early stumps. Om Day 2, Pakistan cricket team will require either of their two batsmen to counter-attack England's lethal bowling attack to keep themselves alive in the game. A brilliant partnership between captain Azhar Ali and opener Abid Ali helped Pakistan reach 62/1 against England at Lunch before rain prompted an early lunch in the morning session. As the game resumed post Lunch, Pakistan resumed its fightback against the lethal bowling attack and looked to bag some more runs. However, their plans were spoiled by James Anderson as he struck for the second time to break the 72-run stand and depart skipper Azhar Ali for 20. Pakistan were 85/2 after 33.5 overs just when rain stopped play. Just when the game resumed after tea break, Abid Ali scored his third Test fifty off 99 balls under tough circumstances. Abid getting a fifty was a big boost for his team as after scoring a fifty on both previous occasions in a Test game, he had managed to convert that into a ton. But, the Pakistani opener was soon dismissed by Rory Burns for 60 off 111 balls. Asad Shafiq was the next man to the crease with the scoreboard reading 104/4 after 40 overs but his stay at the crease was short-lived as he was departed by Stuart Broad for five runs, giving him his first wicket of the day. Next came in Fawad Alam who was making his comeback into the Pakistan XI after more than a decade. After 11 years of hard work, Alam today played his first Test match for his national team since 2009. After Broad, it was now Chris Woakes turn to get his first wicket of the day. The star all-rounder trapped Fawad Alam LBW for a duck - given out on a review. Rain Stops Play Again! Players were forced to step off the field for the third time in the day after rain again interrupted day's play. With the Pakistani team facing a major collapse, their star batsman Babar Azam was now key for his team. Finally, after an hour long wait, the umpires finally decided to call off the day. Teams: England (Playing XI): Rory Burns, Dominic Sibley, Zak Crawley, Joe Root(c), Ollie Pope, Jos Buttler(w), Chris Woakes, Sam Curran, Dominic Bess, Stuart Broad, James Anderson Pakistan (Playing XI): Shan Masood, Abid Ali, Azhar Ali(c), Babar Azam, Asad Shafiq, Fawad Alam, Mohammad Rizwan(w), Yasir Shah, Mohammad Abbas, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah ALSO WATCH | James Anderson Opens Up On Retirement From Cricket! 

"It won't be very long before he's got another five-for next to his name!"

James Anderson has picked up just six wickets at an average of 41.16 in the English Test season so far, but England captain Joe Root has complete faith in the fast bowler to bounce back strong ???? pic.twitter.com/ChefZpM9G7 — ICC (@ICC) August 12, 2020