Pak on top against England


Manchester: England suffered a dramatic top-order collapse that saw Ben Stokes out for a duck after Shan Masood’s brilliant century established a strong position for Pakistan in the first Test at Old Trafford on Thursday.

The hosts were 92-4 at stumps on the second day, after slumping to 12-3, in reply to Pakistan’s first innings 326 that featured opener Masood’s Test-best 156.

Ollie Pope defied Pakistan to be 46 not out, with Jos Buttler unbeaten on 15. But England were still 234 runs behind with no more specialist batsmen left.

It took towering left-armer Shaheen Afridi just four balls to have Rory Burns lbw before Mohammad Abbas struck twice in quick succession.

Dom Sibley was plumb lbw before the accurate Abbas bowled Stokes, standing well out of his ground, with a superb ball that clipped the top of off-stump.

England suffered a dramatic top-order collapse that saw Ben Stokes out for a duck after Shan Masood’s brilliant century established a strong position for Pakistan in the first Test at Old Trafford on Thursday.

The hosts were 92-4 at stumps on the second day, after slumping to 12-3, in reply to Pakistan’s first innings 326 that featured opener Masood’s Test-best 156.

Ollie Pope defied Pakistan to be 46 not out, with Jos Buttler unbeaten on 15. But England were still 234 runs behind with no more specialist batsmen left.