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Centuries from captain Shaan Masood (151) and opener Abdullah Shafique (102) helped Pakistan get into a good position at the end of day one of the opening test against England in Multan.

Coming into this series, Shaan Masood’s Pakistan have been in dreadful form, losing 10 home games in a row. In this losing streak, three defeats were against current opponents England.

With that in mind, The Three Lions appeared to be solid and overwhelming favourites coming into this series. England’s bowling attack has changed, and Ben Stokes, England’s leader and leading all-rounder, is injured.

So there is a glimmer of hope for the home side, which, to their credit, worked hard to press home. After Saim Ayub (4) was out early, both Masood and Shafique combined to score 253 for the second wicket against England.

When Abdullah Shafique was out, Shaan Masood soon followed, which gave England half a sniff of getting back into the game. However, Saud Shakeel and Babar Azam (30) combined to put on 61 for the fourth wicket.

This contribution took some sting out of the game. At the end of the first day, Pakistan closed on 329-4, which means this game is evenly poised.

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