Young Pakistan opener Saim Ayub failed to take advantage of batting-friendly conditions on Day 1 of the first Test at Multan Cricket Stadium. Ayub was dismissed for a single-digit score by England pacer Gus Atkinson in the fourth over of the innings. His opening partner Abdullah Shafique made the opportunity count after a poor run against Bangladesh. He scored his fourth Test hundred and shared a 253-run stand with captain Shan Masood. After the day’s play, Shafique defended Ayub and lauded team management for backing him despite low scores.
"Saim [Ayub] scored two 50s in the last two Tests, if we'd dropped him after the first Test, I've had that happen to me; it's not nice," Shafique was quoted as saying by ESPNCricinfo. "When I was out of the team for two years, I averaged over 60 in List A cricket, but Imam [ul-Haq-] and Fakhar [Zaman] were consistently performing. I didn't complain that I wasn't being selected, because I understood the level of competition was high. If the coach was backing the players, they were doing the right thing."
Shafique credits Masood
Shafique also recalled the self doubt and metal challenges a better faces when he goes through a rough patch. Along with the team management, he thanked captain Masood as well.
"A sportsman has to face challenges and go through failure," Shafique said. "I'm thankful to the team management and the captain for trusting me and giving me a fair run. You face a lot of mental challenges and lots of doubts, but you have to overcome it all and perform."
Wicket was challenging early on
While Masood scored freely, Shafique took his time. It looked like there wasn't much assistance for bowlers in Multan but the opener said the conditions were challenging early on as it was a fresh surface.
"It was a very important day as the first one of the series. The whole team understood the value of setting the tone up front because that's the mode in which the team plays thereafter. The wicket is challenging to bat on a fresh pitch with the new ball, but the partnership between me and Shan gave the team a big boost," said the 24-year-old.
The 253-run partnership between Masood and Shafique is the fourth-highest for Pakistan for second wicket in Tests. It is also Pakistan’s second-highest second-wicket partnership against England.
