da bet esporte： England’s batting once again malfunctioned in tough seaming conditions, and against a quality Pakistan attack
da marjack bet： The Report by Andrew Fidel Fernando24-May-20184:36
#PoliteEnquiries: Pakistan brilliant or England poor?
Pakistan 50 for 1 trail England 184 (Cook 70, Abbas 4-23, Hasan 4-51) by 134 runs
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsGreen pitch underfoot, grey skies overhead, Joe Root chose to bat first and then… oh dear… a collapse. Pakistan’s four-man seam operation seized on the helpful conditions, bowling relentlessly full lengths, darting the ball in each direction, and ultimately sending the hosts plunging to 184 all out, just after tea.It was one of those rare days in which Pakistan may be described as clinical. They held their catches, including two outstanding takes by Asad Shafiq and Mohammad Amir. They made good DRS calls, overturning one lbw decision. Even when England threatened to recover, Alastair Cook and Jonny Bairstow putting on a 57-run stand at one stage, the seamers continued to attack and the pressure they imposed never dissipated.England’s effort on the first day of their Test summer, meanwhile, was riddled with error. Root’s decision to bat first appears foolhardy, for a start. As does the loose drive that cost him his wicket. The bottom half of the batting order offered too little resistance, the last six wickets falling for 35 runs. Late in the day, they also grassed a chance behind the wicket, Ben Stokes reaching across from third slip to attempt a catch that would have been much more comfortably taken by second slip.There were several outstanding spells from Pakistan’s quicks, but three dismissals in particular stand out. Mohammad Abbas had set Pakistan’s day off in sublime swinging fashion, and it was his dismissal of Mark Stoneman that began England’s slide. Having harassed Stoneman outside off stump for nine scoreless deliveries, Abbas pitched one straighter, and whipped it back at the batsman. Stoneman was in such a poor position to play that ball, the gap between his bat and pad wasn’t really a gate – more a wide-open hangar door.Hasan Ali claimed the big wicket of Joe Root for 4•Getty Images
After lunch, Faheem Ashraf – who had bowled a fine spell in support of Hasan Ali earlier – removed Jonny Bairstow with a ball that seamed up the slope. Angling the delivery into Bairstow, Ashraf moved it away off the pitch, beating the batsman’s prod, but not missing the the top of off stump. Mohammad Amir’s ball to get Cook, though, was perhaps the best of the day, the ball again angling into the batsman but jiving into the top of off stump, the ball having also curved before it pitched. It ended England’s best innings of the day by far. Cook’s 70 off 148 balls not only protected his team from total ignominy, it was also a satisfying innings on a personal level. His previous five scores were 14, 2, 2, 5 and 10.From there, England unraveled quickly. Ben Stokes was trapped in front by Abbas, the umpire having initially ruled not out before DRS intervened. Jos Buttler’s post-IPL season began poorly, when he flashed at a Hasan delivery, and managed only to send the ball quickly to second slip, where Shafiq made a sharp overhead grab. No one in the tail managed double figures – the last three wickets falling inside six balls. Each of Pakistan’s quicks had played their part, but fittingly, it was Abbas who came away with the best figures, taking 4 for 23 off 14 overs. Hasan also took four.Pakistan were cagey in response, Azhar Ali especially reticent as he laboured to 18 off 72 balls. But in moving to 50 by stumps, they had calmed some nerves – even by the evening session this pitch looked very green and the weather had not cleared. England’s quicks beat the bat regularly, but only one could claim a breakthrough. Stuart Broad trapped Imam-ul-Haq in front for 4 in the sixth over, DRS again required to overturn the decision. They could have had Pakistan two-down had that catch off Haris Sohail been held, but even if he had fallen, this was still emphatically Pakistan’s day.
