Pakistan won the toss and chose to bat first in Multan.
Shan Masood won the toss, and Pakistan decided to bat first. It is worth mentioning that Pakistan has chosen the same pitch that was prepared for the first Test, which proved to be a run-fest.
Pakistan has handed a Test debut to Kamran Ghulam, who has gone in with 4 specialist spinners. England, on the other hand, made two changes as well, as Ben Stokes and Matthew Potts came into the XI for Chris Woakes and Gus Atkinson.
Pakistan chose a spin-friendly track, and England's Jack Leach instantly came into action. Leach claimed two wickets in his first three overs, leaving the hosts handicapped. He also became the first English spinner to capture wickets in the first ten overs of a Test match since 1889.
Leach cleaned up Pakistan opener Abdullah Shafique with a stunning delivery and dismissed captain Shan Masood, leaving them at 19/2. However, Kamran Ghulam, making his debut, got a fifty and came in to assist Saim Ayub, who also scored a half-century, as their stand helped Pakistan get out of danger.
Ayub has since then falled for 77 runs, while Ghulam is going strong with Pakistan 178/4 at the time of writing this piece.
During the proceedings, Joe Root made everyone laugh as he opted for a new way of shining the ball and used his teammate Jack Leach’s bald head.
Joe Root devised a creative approach to keep the ball gleaming in Multan's spinning circumstances. With saliva restricted due to COVID-19 protocols, players have had to get creative to keep the ball polished. And what about the Root method? He rubbed the ball onto Jack Leach's bald head!
Root attempted the same stunt during England's 2022 tour of Pakistan, rubbing the ball on Leach's head. When it comes to Root, anything is possible—whether it’s scoring runs or finding innovative ways to shine the red ball.
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