Fri Oct 11 06:32:10 UTC 2024: ## England Bowlers Fight Back to End Day One of Multan Test on a High
**Multan, Pakistan:** Despite a dominant opening day from Pakistan, England’s bowlers fought back in the final session to give their side hope in the first Test. Pakistan ended the day on 328 for four, thanks largely to a mammoth 253-run partnership between Shan Masood (151) and Abdullah Shafique (102).
The duo put England’s bowlers through a torrid two sessions, exploiting docile conditions in the intense heat. However, the introduction of the second new ball and floodlights brought a change in fortune for the visitors.
England’s spin bowling coach, Jeetan Patel, praised the bowlers’ resilience, stating they “dug deeper and deeper” despite the grueling conditions. He highlighted the efforts of Gus Atkinson, Jack Leach, and Chris Woakes, who all picked up crucial wickets in the final session.
Woakes’s performance was particularly impressive, as he delivered a stunning over to dismiss the dangerous Babar Azam for 30. Patel lauded Woakes’s skill, saying that to produce such deliveries “when you are that knackered and saturated and dripping with sweat it is a fine art.”
The late wickets provide England with a glimmer of hope heading into day two. However, they will need to continue their fight and find a way to dismiss the well-set Masood, who remains unbeaten on 151.
First Piper 