Pakistan spinner Abrar Ahmed picks 5/70 on debut to stymie England

Unheralded Pakistan spinner Abrar Ahmed picked up 5 wickets in a dream Test debut towards England on Friday.

The 24-year-old Ahmed, 5-70, had Zak Crawley clear bowled off his fifth ball in a Test match after which efficiently gained lbw choices towards half-century maker Ben Duckett (63) and Joe Root (8) by means of tv referrals.

Ahmed challenged England’s aggression by means of his number of bowling on a wicket already providing loads of spin as he dismissed Ollie Pope (60), caught whereas reverse sweeping and Harry Brook (8), who went for an extravagant attacking shot and was caught at lengthy off.

England reached 180-5 in an prolonged 2-1/2 hour first session because of Friday prayers after Ben Stokes gained his second successive toss and elected to bat on a wicket Pakistan has ready in a hope to assist its three spinners and stage the three-match sequence.

Stokes was unbeaten on 18 and Wills Jacks was but to attain his first runs on the break of the second Test.

Crawley and Duckett smashed centuries in England’s landmark 74-run victory within the first Test at Rawalpindi and so they noticed off Pakistan’s a lot weakened tempo assault of Faheem Ashraf and Mohammad Ali on a dry Multan Cricket Stadium wicket with ease.

Ashraf and Ahmed had been the 2 pressured modifications Pakistan needed to make after quick bowlers Haris Rauf and Naseem Shah each had been dominated out with accidents and the house staff additionally dropped skilled No. 3 batter Azhar Ali due to lack of kind and introduced in allrounder Mohammad Nawaz.

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Crawley made 19 earlier than Ahmed’s properly flighted supply jagged again into the righthander and knocked off the stumps when captain Babar Azam turned to his spinners within the ninth over.

Pope, one of many 4 century-makers at Rawalpindi, and Duckett each efficiently overturned on-field umpires’ lbw choices towards them and added a brisk 79 off 61 balls as they didn’t worry to reverse sweep each spinners Zahid Mahmood and Ahmed.

Duckett accomplished his half century off 40 balls earlier than Ahmed struck had the lefthander trapped leg earlier than wicket after which Root was trapped lbw on the backfoot to Ahmed’s sharp turner.

England didn’t decelerate and its fearless method to attain at a speedy tempo value them when Pope was caught at level whereas going for a reverse sweep and Brook gave a skied shot to Nawaz towards Ahmed.

Fast bowler Mark Wood was the one change in England’s enjoying XI from the primary Test at Rawalpindi the place the guests made a world-record 506-4 on the primary day.

Wood, enjoying his first Test since March, changed injured Liam Livingstone after the allrounder flew again dwelling after injuring his knee through the first Test.