Just In: Pakistan vs. England’s 1st test match is currently ongoing in Rawalpindi, with so many cricketing records with bats already broken, thanks to the lifeless pitch at the venue, while bowlers are on the receiving end till the time of this writing.
After a long wait of 17 years, the English side toured Pakistan back in September. After playing 7-T20Is, they left for World Cup and then returned to play the remaining 3-test matches, with the first already being played from Dec 1 at Rawalpindi.
Possibly, the Pakistan Cricket Board have chosen to surprise the visiting side by preparing a Flat and Dead pitch, which allowed their batters to shatter numerous records once they decided to bat first during the first test.
While England’s openers, Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett, scored 233 runs for the first wicket in the first innings, making a record, at the end of the same day, the visiting team posted 500+ runs in 102 overs, breaking another record.
Utilizing the max advantage of Road-pitch, Pakistani openers Abdullah and Imam provided 225 runs opening starting, yet breaking another record for the longest opening stand for Pakistan. Notably, their partnership marked a record in test cricket of 200 runs partnerships from opening pairs of both teams.
It is pertinent to mention that England piled giant 657 runs target in the first innings, with the help of four centuries. In return, Pakistani batters replicated their opposition’s performance quite well, and it appears the test might end in Draw.
