Pakistan won the toss and elected to bat first. Openers Imam-ul-Haq and Abdullah Shafique gave the team a cautious start, but Imam was bowled out after scoring 17 runs. Abdullah Shafique, along with Shan Masood, then stabilized the innings with responsible batting, both reaching half-centuries.
After Shafique’s dismissal for 57, Pakistan lost their third wicket when skipper Babar Azam returned to the pavilion after making 16 off 22 balls, including three boundaries. He was caught in the slips off spinner Keshav Maharaj, who extracted sharp turn from the surface.
Babar’s continued failure to produce significant scores has raised concerns among fans and cricket analysts. Experts believe the captain is under pressure to regain form, as his contributions in the middle order are crucial for Pakistan’s batting stability.
At stumps on day one, Pakistan had reached 185 for three, with Shan Masood and Saud Shakeel unbeaten at the crease.
The national side made one change for this Test, dropping fast bowler Hasan Ali and including left-arm spinner Asif Afridi, who made his Test debut.
Pakistan leads the two-match Test series 1–0 after defeating South Africa by 93 runs in the first Test at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium.
