Pakistani bowlers fightback on day 2 of 2nd test after a debutant 100 from Gulam


 After the crushing defeat in the first test , a revamped Pakistan XI in the 2nd test vs England has shown signs of fresh fight and is having England on the ropes at the end on an eventful day 2 .

On day one Pakistan had scored 259/5 . After winning the toss and batting , Pakistan was initially rattled by losing Abdhllah Shafique & Shan Masood for singke dugit scores before the future of Pakistani batting , Saim Ayub & Kamran Gulam stitched a gallant 149 run stand to give stability.  Ayub made a watchful 77 while Gulam joined an illustrious list of batsmen who scored 100s on test debut . Playing spin superbly Gulam scored a fine 118 before getting out as Pakistan lost 3 wickets before close with England bowlers fighting back . 

England's innings on day 2 initially seemed like a repeat of the first Test, with Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett scoring at a rate of seven runs per over. However, in the final hour, England's batting faltered, losing five wickets in quick succession, putting them under pressure. Despite Duckett's century, by the end of the second day, Ben Stokes' team was still trailing Pakistan by 127 runs.


At the close of the first day, Pakistan had scored 259 for 5. The start of the second day wasn't ideal for them, as Mohammad Rizwan was dismissed caught behind off Carse for a well made 41. Agha Salman and Aamer Jamal formed a partnership that pushed the team past 300 runs. Salman scored 31, while Jamal contributed 37. Later in the innings, a 32-run effort from Nauman Ali helped Pakistan reach a total of 366.


Among England's bowlers, Jack Leach was the most successful, taking 4 wickets. Brydon Carse claimed 3 wickets, Matthew Potts took 2, and Shoaib Bashir secured 1.


In reply, England got off to a blistering  start, with their openers putting up 73 runs in 12 overs. Their first setback came when spinner Nauman Ali dismissed Crawley for 27. Although Duckett was supported by Ollie Pope and Joe Root, neither could make a significant score. Both were dismissed by Sajid Khan, who was brought into the team for this Test by Pakistan. England's batters struggled against the unfamiliar spinners.


Pope scored 29 and Root was bowled  carelessly for 34. Last match’s triple-centurion Harry Brook was also dismissed cheaply for just 9 by Sajid trying to cut an incoming delivery . From 211 for 2, England collapsed to 225 for 6. Captain Ben Stokes, who missed the previous match, returned for this one but couldn’t contribute with the bat, getting out for just 1 being caught at short leg . Duckett stood firm with a century but was eventually dismissed for 114 by Sajid.


By the end of the day, England had reached 239 for 6, still trailing Pakistan by 127 runs. Pakistan’s two spinners, Sajid and Nauman, claimed 4 and 2 wickets respectively. With the way they’re bowling and the 1st test pitch slowing down & taking turn , Pakistan has a strong chance to take a significant lead in the first innings. If they manage to do so, they could win this match and get back into the series, which is exactly what Shan Masood and his team will aim for.


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