Eng vs Pak 2nd Test: Rizwan's Gritty Half Ton Helps Pakistan Post 223-9 At Stumps On Rain Hit Second Day

At stumps on Day 2 of the second Test in Southampton, Pakistan posted 223 for 9 with Mohammad Rizwan unbeaten on 60 and with tailender Naseem Shah batting on the other end on 1.

Mohammad Rizwan

Wicket-keeper Mohammad Rizwan notched up a gritty half-century and staged a valiant comeback for Pakistan as the visitors ended the second day of the ongoing second Test against England at 223 for 9 before bad light at the Ageal Bowl in Southampton forced play to end earlier than scheduled time on Friday. At stumps on Day 2 of the second Test in Southampton, Pakistan posted 223 for 9 with Mohammad Rizwan unbeaten on 60 and with tailender Naseem Shah batting on the other end on 1. At the stroke of tea, the teams went off the field because of the gloomy weather, with Pakistan posting 215-8 on the scoreboard. When play resumed, there were only nine deliveries bowled during which Stuart Broad picked up his third wicket of the innings to leave the tourists reeling at 223-9. With bad light becoming a concern yet again, the umpires took another meter reading and took the players off again - for good this time. Earlier in the day,  England polished off the Pakistan tail after sending their batting mainstay Babar Azam back to the pavilion for 47 and ending a gritty stand between Azam and Mohammad Rizwan. England struck in quick succession dismiss Yasir Shah, Mohammad Abbas and Shaheen Afridi. However, there was a twist in the tale as Mohammad Rizwan went on the counter attack with some exquisite shot making and helped his team past the 200-run mark. Earlier, Rizwan and Babar had resurrected a derailed innings for Pakistan as their both opener Shan Masood and skipper Azhar Ali failed to cope up with the seaming conditions and fell early to James Anderson. At the break, Babar was batting on 45 with wicket-keeper Mohammad Rizwan on 12 as the overnight pair hung on managing 29 runs in the truncated first session. Brief scores: Pakistan 223/9 (Mohammad Rizwan 60*, Babar Azam 47; James Anderson 3/48) vs England