England vs Pakistan 1st Test, Day 1: Babar Azam (69*) was the highest scorer of the first day. (Reuters)
England vs Pakistan (ENG vs PAK) 1st Test Day 2 Live Cricket Score Updates: England claimed the big wicket of Babar Azam at the outset on Day 2 of the 1st Test vs Pakistan. Shan Masood carried on his overnight innings, becoming the first Pakistani opener to face more than 200 balls in an innings in England since Saeed Anwar in 1996. Pakistan reached the Lunch break at 187/5.
Pakistan put 139/2 on board on a rain-curtailed Day 1. A 96-run partnership between Azam and Masood had taken Pakistan to a position of strength. Rain played spoilsport as the play was halted for almost three hours and finally, umpires stopped the play for the day because of bad light. The weather forecast for Day 2 says it will be mostly cloudy with humidity level reaching 70% and wind blowing at 13 km/h throughout the day.
Pakistan's captain Azhar Ali, left, shakes hands with England's captain Joe Root during the toss on the first day of the first cricket Test match between England and Pakistan at Old Trafford in Manchester, England, Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2020. (Lee Smith/Pool via AP)
Shadab Khan swats Root on the leg side for four. Bess bowls from Root's opposite end. Early signs from the batsmen show Pakistan are again looking to be more positive in the second session today. It was in the afternoon session that Babar Azam and Shan Masood got stuck into the English bowlers on Day 1, and they seem to be having a similar plan today too. Shadab sweeps Bess for four as well! That brings up the 200 up for Pakistan. Swift runs for the visitors after the break. PAK 203/5 after 77
England's bowlers ruled the first session of Day 2 under overcast skies. 48 runs and 3 wickets in that morning session. Shan Masood, having batted for 5 hours, is the immovable rock Pakistan need at the moment. Joe Root starts off proceedings with the ball after the break.
Dom Bess brought on to bowl an over of spin before the Lunch break. Bess had Masood in a lot of trouble yesterday, with Buttler miffing a stumping opportunity against Masood late in the day. As for Pakistan, their scoring rate has picked up a bit in the last half of the session. Masood plays Bess down on the leg side for a couple. And Lunch is called after that over. PAK 187/5 after 75 overs, Masood on 77*
Masood gets four runs against Woakes with an outside edge than runs down to third man. The clouds have parted and blue skies are in full display as the first session winds down. Masood moves to 75 with a controlled pull shot as Archer continues bowling short. Shadab Khan content to give the specialist batsman company. PAK 185/5 after 74
Shan Masood might not be scoring as flamboyantly as Babar Azam was yesterday, but he is doing something special. He has faced 212 balls in this innings so far. The last Pakistan opener to face 200 balls in a men's Test innings in England was Saeed Anwar at The Oval in 1996. Shadab Khan is getting his innings on in nervy fashion. Pakistan need to hold out against this pressure of the ball moving around. PAK 179/5
An analysis of what Shan Masood has done better in this Test shows that he has managed to leave balls outside off stump alone, the balls which he went out to on the last out of England.
5th wicket! Woakes gets one more! Rizwan gets a nick that goes through to the keeper. The outswinger does it again for Woakes. Pakistan have now lost half their side. Rizwan departs for 9 off 41 balls. Day 2 has not been kind to Pakistan so far. Shadab Khan walks out at 7. PAK 176/5
Masood moves into the 60s as Woakes strays on his pads. A welcome boundary and something that'll release the pressure on the scoring team. Archer bowls full and on Masood's pads as well and he places it on the leg side for a couple of runs. Masood and Rizwan managing to find some rythm as the first session is winding down. Archer keeps digging it in short, Masood continues to give it the duck. PAK 176/4 after 70
27 runs have been scored by Pakistan in 18 overs today so far. An over from Archer produces 4 runs! An expensive over by current standards. England have a tight noose on the scoring at the moment. Shan Masood is still carrying on his unbeaten knock from Day 1. Rizwan is with him, giving him steady company in leaving the wide balls and fending those coming in. PAK 166/4 after 67 overs
That's pressure right there on the visitors with six maiden overs in a row. England are looking confident to claim another wicket.
Rizwan reprives himself on 0! Good LBW Review from Pakistan as Rizwan escapes, courtesy a faint edge. Pakistan 150-4 after 59 overs. England bowling well here, dot after dot.
England continue their strong start on Day 2, claiming another wicket in the first session. Pakistan lose their fourth wicket as Stuart Broad finds Asad Shafiq's outside edge and Ben Stokes holds on in the cordon. Asad departs for 7, Pakistan 150/4
That's a 7th Test 50 for Shan Masood as he becomes the first overseas opener since 2016 to have faced over 100 balls in the first innings of a Test in England! He reached a patient half-century from m156 balls soon after Babar departs.
OUT! What a start to the day as the hosts waste no time in getting rid of Babar for 69 in the first over. Anderson strikes early as Pakistan's star batsman edges to Root in the slips.
Day 2 kickstarts in Manchester after a rain-curtailed opening day. All eyes on Babar Azam (69*) as Pakistan resume on 139/2. Hosts England will be looking for an early breakthrough
Weather on Day 2 looks promising though there are predictions of shower in the second half. The weather forecast for Day 2 says it will be mostly cloudy with humidity level reaching 70% and wind blowing at 13 km/h throughout the day.
Former Pakistan captain Ramiz Raja says prolific run-scorer Babar Azam has some technical flaws in his game which he needs to iron out to be counted as a great. Ramiz noted that Babar was facing the ball with open shoulders which would prevent him from playing his drives. “When that is happening it means that your head position isn’t right. The head is not locked in with the shoulder. When you open yourself up in that manner, facing the outswinger becomes problematic. This means that your drives will stop connecting,” Ramiz said on his Youtube channel.
Nasser Hussain said that Babar Azam should be as highly rated as the 'Fab Four' of Virat Kohli, Steve Smith, Kane Williamson and Joe Root, but that he is not because Pakistan are disadvantaged as a cricketing country. (READ MORE)
Pakistan Test opener Shan Masood considers himself and his teammates very fortunate for being able to play Test cricket amid the pandemic, which has thrown the world into disarray. The 30-year-old Masood scored an unbeaten 46 on the rain-hit opening day and featured in a steady partnership with Babar Azam (READ MORE)
Babar Azam is the only batsman with an average of over 100 in the ICC World Test Championship. Since the start of 2018, Babar Azam has scored 1,427 Test runs at 67.95. Nobody in world cricket has scored more Test runs at a higher average than Babar at this time.
We can go on about how good he has been and his numbers but on the first day of the Manchester Test, he did look nervy coming out to bat with clouds hovering over and his team at a precarious 48/2 just before lunch. (READ MORE)