MULTAN, 13 November 2005 — The initiative which skipper Inzamam ul-Haq had earned by winning the toss in the first Test against England was almost thrown away by Pakistan’s middle order batsmen, and the home team was struggling at 244 for 6 at close of play on the first day here yesterday. Inzamam was batting at 41 and Mohammad Sami was 1 not out, with three bowlers to follow.
Pakistan’s new opening pair of Shoaib Malik and Salman Butt, the seventh combination to be tried in the last two years, gave their team a good start of 79 runs before Malik (39) was trapped lbw by the hero of the Ashes series, Andrew Flintoff, just 30 minutes before lunch.
Pakistan lost only one wicket in the first session and vice-captain Yunis Khan and Butt saw through the remaining play before lunch when the home team looked quite settled at 103 for 1.
The honors of the first session surely went to the hosts and though opener Butt had at least one life, having been dropped by the joint efforts of first and second slip, he and Yunis continued to bat resolutely after lunch taking the total to 161. But England brought themselves back into contention with four wickets in nine overs either side of tea: The fall of wicketkeeper batsman Kamran Akmal in the 85th over of the day almost dented all hopes for Pakistan reaching a defendable score in the first innings.
England bowlers, who appeared struggling in the first session on a flat, brown and lifeless strip , came back strongly, striking telling blows to reduce the home team from 161 for 1 to 183 for five and sealed a good day for England and left the Pakistani skipper wondering what wonder could he perform with a “long tail”.
Pakistan worked hard throughout the day. Four of their batsmen took good starts but failed to maintain the tempo, and move on. Only Salman Butt seized the initiative in a confident style with 74 — his second Test fifty — but he will be disappointed not to have progressed after he was well settled on a benign pitch. While he was at the crease, Pakistan were in control.
Pakistan’s new opening combination played watchfully, and grew in as the match progressed. With every stroke as they got the measure of the friendly bounce.
Malik struggled to find his feet in the early stages but, after negotiating the early swing, he soon found his groove with a series of fours and was rarely troubled. The two carried the score to 79 before Andrew Flintoff inspired England’s resurgence by trapping Malik with one, which jagged back and hit him on the knee roll.
But it was Shaun Udal, the off-spinner making his Test debut at 36, who set up the grand comeback with the important wicket of Butt, the day’s top scorer with 74, who was out in an unconventional manner when stand-in England skipper Marcus Trescothick standing at slip, palmed the wild slash from the left-handed opener in the air. Geraint Jones, the wicketkeeper, had the presence of mind to dive backward to clutch the ball.
Shortly afterward, Mohammad Yousuf (formerly Yousuf Youhana) misjudged a full-length delivery from Flintoff and yorked himself for five.
Younis , who was shaping up nicely until the tea break, was trapped leg-before by Stephen Harmison for 39. The Pakistan vice-captain played in an unconventional style and at times one felt he was not at his best today.
It was now left to Hasan Raza to prove a point in his comeback appearance after a three-year gap. But Raza, who was preferred over all-rounder Shahid Afridi for this Test, could last only four deliveries, giving Harmison two wickets in the same over, the first over after tea.
At 183 for five, the Pakistan innings was on verge of total capitulation. However, Inzamam, now faced with the responsibility of salvaging the situation with only one recognized batsman for company, slowly calmed the nerves of his partner Kamran Akmal.
The two added 55 runs for a defiant sixth-wicket partnership before Matthew Hoggard forced Akmal to play a shot in the slips where Trescothick pouched the catch gleefully. Akmal’s contribution was 28.
