The opening game of the three-match Test series between England and Pakistan provided fans with an edge-of-the-seat action, throughout all four👍 days of the matcꦐh.
In the end, it was the hosts who came out triumphant in the first Test match at Old T🙈rafford 🅘in Manchester.
It was the heroic counter-attacking partnership between Jos Buttler and Chris Woakes which stole the show on the fourth day of the g♏ღame.
Moreover, the visitors wer꧂e subjected to criticism for giving away the momentum to the hosts on multiple occasions.
Earlier, Pakistan laid a solid foundation inﷺ the first innings on the back of Shan Masood’s impressive 156.🥀 With the ball, Yasir Shah and Co. backed Masood’s good work by curtailing the hosts to 219.
After bagging a handy 107-run lead,𒅌 the Green Caps let the hosts c💟law their way back into the game. In the second innings, Pakistan got bundled out for a paltry 169, setting a par target of 277 for the ‘Three Lions’.
However, the Pakistan bowlers turned the tide in their favour yet again after rඣeducing England to 127-5, with in-form Ollie Pope going bacಌk to the pavilion.
Well, it requirඣed something special from Shaheen Shah Afridi to take Pope out of the equation.
During the 45th over of the fourth innings, Afri𝓀di’s delivery kicked up from nowhere as Pope failed to cope with the ri✱sing ball.
The ball, pitched in the good length area, bounced viciously to catch the shoulder of Pope’s bat. In the end, it was a relatively simple c🍬atch for Shadab K𓆏han placed at slips, who came running and pouched the ball, lobbying in the air.
Popꩲe took a moment to digest his dismissal and could noಌt believe what unravelled in front of him.
Here’s the video:
Not much you can do about that.
Scorecard/Clips:
— England Cricket (@englandcricket)
At that point in time, Pakistan looked firm favourites to win the opening match of the series. But, Woakes and Buttler took the game away from the visitors with their counter-attacking🐻 139-run partnership, from thereon.
