Salman Agha knocked a fiery half-century to foil England’s fightback on Tuesday, as Pakistan reached 515-8 at tea on day two of the opening Test in Multan.
The 30-year-old was unbeaten on 79 alongside Shaheen Shah Afridi, 13, after England took two wickets in each of the two sessions on a batting-friendly pitch.
Agha survived a catch off spinner Jack Leach, when Chris Woakes lobbed the ball from behind the boundary line and caught it inside the ground.
However the third umpire ruled the fielder’s foot touched the ground beyond the rope and gave a six.
Agha has cracked 10 fours and two sixes in his eighth Test fifty and went past 1,000 runs in his 15th Test.
Agha added an invaluable 57 runs for the seventh wicket with Saud Shakeel, who was caught smartly by Joe Root at slip off Shoaib Bashir for 82. Shakeel hit eight fours.
Pace bowler Brydon Carse has figures of 2-74 on his debut after trapping Aamer Jamal for seven, adding to his first Test wicket of Naseem Shah who was caught at leg slip by Harry Brook before lunch for 33.
Resuming at 328-4, Shakeel and Shah put on a sedate stand of 64 as England’s bowlers kept it tight with just 69 coming in the first session.
Fast bowler Gus Atkinson has figures of 2-99, spinner Jack Leach has 2-136, including the wicket of Mohammed Rizwan before lunch, while Woakes and Bashir have taken a wicket apiece.
