Shan Masood Notches Up Third Consecutive Ton In Test Cricket To Join Elite Club Of Pakistan Batting Greats

The southpaw became the first opener from his nation since Pakistan's legendary opener Saeed Anwar in 1996 to score a Test hundred on English soil.

Shan Masood

Pakistan's left handed opener Shan Masood on Thursday achieved a couple of feats while scoring a gritty ton against England on Day 2 of the ongoing first test against England at Manchester. The southpaw became the first opener from his nation since Pakistan's legendary opener Saeed Anwar in 1996 to score a Test hundred on English soil. Masood top scored in his team's first essay with the bat with a gritty and patient ton (156)  to help the hosts post a healthy 326-run total and give the visitor's the early advantage in the series opener. Masood's  fourth century of his Test career in Manchester, also happened to be his three consecutive century in the longer format of the game. In doing so, Masood joined a list of former Pakistani batting greats like Zaheer Abbas, Mudassar Nazar, Mohammad Yousuf, Misbah-ul-Haq, Younis Khan in achieving the stellar feat. Masood also became only the third Pakistan opener after Mudassar Nazar (1983) and Zaheer Abbas to score three consecutive centuries in Test cricket.

Zaheer Abbas: 215, 186, 168 Mudassar Nazar: 231, 152*, 152 Shan Masood: 135, 100, 156

Masood is the third ???????? opener to score ???? in 3️⃣ consecutive Test innings ???? #ENGvPAK pic.twitter.com/k0vMSGNJAu — ICC (@ICC) August 6, 2020

Opening the batting with Abid Ali for the visitors on Day 1 of the Manchester Test, Masood played watfully to fend off a probing spell by the English seam duo of James Anderson and Stuart Broad. While Pakistan lost Abid (16) and skipper Azhar Ali (0) cheaply, Masood held one end tight and stitched a a 96-run stand with Babar Azam (69) for the third wicket. After Babar Azam's dismisal early on Day 2, Masood held the innings once again batting with a lot of determination and grit amid wickets falling in quick succession at the other end.He notched a 105 partnership for the sixth wicket with Shadab Khan to help Pakistan post a competitive total in their first innings of the Old Trafford Test.