LEEDS: Rain disrupted the opening day of the first Test between Pakistan and England at Headingley on Wednesday, forcing an early lunch after only 9.4 overs of play.
After being put in to bat, Pakistan endured a disastrous start as opener Azan Awais was trapped LBW by Ollie Robinson off the first ball of the match.
The visitors suffered another early setback in the fifth over when former captain Shan Masood was dismissed by Robinson for five runs from 20 balls, leaving Pakistan reeling at 6-2.
Imam-ul-Haq and Abdullah Shafique then showed some resilience, putting together a brief partnership to take Pakistan’s total to 23-2 before heavy rain brought play to a halt.
Hosts England won the toss and opted to field first against Pakistan in the series opener of the three-match Test series at Headingley on Wednesday.
Pakistan have made several changes to their line-up for the first Test, with Salman Ali Agha standing in as captain in place of the injured Babar Azam. Shan Masood and Saud Shakeel have also returned to the playing XI.
Pakistan captain Babar Azam has been ruled out of the series opener, with Salman Ali Agha stepping in as stand-in captain.
Pakistan have won just one of their last five Tests, with their run including a 2-0 series defeat and a victory over the West Indies that helped level that series 1-1.
England have endured a mixed run in their recent red-ball matches, losing three of their last five Tests, including a 2-1 series defeat against New Zealand. They will be looking to regain momentum under their new head coach and returning captain Ben Stokes as the series gets under way.
Playing XIs
Pakistan: Azan Awais, Imam-ul-Haq, Shan Masood, Abdullah Shafique, Saud Shakeel, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Salman Ali Agha (c), Ali Usman, Khurram Shahzad, Mohammad Ali and Mohammad Abbas.
England: Ben Duckett, Emilio Gay, Jordan Cox, Joe Root (c), Harry Brook, Dan Lawrence, Jamie Smith (wk), Ollie Robinson, Gus Atkinson, Jofra Archer and Josh Tongue.
Head-to-head
England and Pakistan have faced each other in 92 Test matches. England have won 30, Pakistan 23, while 39 matches have ended in draws.
The Test marks Pakistan’s first red-ball series in England since 2020, when the two sides contested a three-match series. England won the series 1-0, with the other two Tests ending in draws.
