Pakistan takes control, leads by 166 runs with two wickets remaining

Pakistan’s Babar Azam plays a shot during the second day of the first Test against England in London on Friday.

Pakistan’s Babar Azam plays a shot during the second day of the first Test against England in London on Friday.   | Photo Credit: Julian Finney

A feature of Pakistan's play on Thursday had been their much-improved close catching.

Pakistan again showed England how to play in its own conditions in the first Test at Lord’s.

The tourists scored 300 runs in Friday’s play, going from an overnight 50 for one to 350 for eight at stumps on the second day of this two-match series.

That left the visitors already 166 runs ahead of England’s first innings score of 184.

A quartet of batsmen made fifties, with England dropping four catches and missing one other obvious chance.

In addition to three county warm-up matches, Pakistan beat Test debutant Ireland in similarly overcast conditions in Dublin last week.

Experienced opener Azhar Ali laid the platform for Pakistan's reply with a well-made 50 in largely overcast conditions that weren’t easy to bat in.

Asad Shafiq (59) and Babar Azam, who made 68 before retiring hurt, kept the runs coming before Shadab Khan (52) hit his second fifty in three Tests.