Pakistan vs England Live Score 2nd Test, Day 2

Shoaib Bashir to Saim Ayub, Attacking the front pad, on a length, Ayub blocks it out well.

Shoaib Bashir to Saim Ayub, Drifting in, on the pads, defended on the leg side by Ayub.

Shoaib Bashir to Saim Ayub, Bold leave! Fired in, just outside the off-stump line, Ayub covers his off pole and makes the leave.

Shoaib Bashir to Saim Ayub, FIFTY FOR AYUB! First fifty for the southpaw in this series. He will be looking to convert this into a three-figure score. Looped up by Bashir, very full, Ayub shows a straight bat and knocks it down the ground. Beats the diving short mid on fielder to his right for a couple of runs to get to his half century. Just a thumbs up to the dressing room and gets a hug from the debutant, Kamran Ghulam.

Jack Leach to Kamran Ghulam, From around the wicket to the right-hander, speared in, full and on off, Ghulam blocks it out solidly.

Jack Leach to Saim Ayub, In and around the off-stump line, on a nagging length, Ayub dabs it wide of cover and picks up a single.

Jack Leach to Saim Ayub, Floated up, fuller and on off, Ayub eases it back to the bowler.

Jack Leach to Saim Ayub, Much better from Leach, on a nagging length, on off, Ayub defends it with a straight bat.

Jack Leach to Saim Ayub, FOUR! Cut away! A rare loose delivery by Leach as this is short and wide on off, Ayub camps back and cuts it past point. Matthew Potts gives it a chase and puts in a dive but in vain as the ball wins the race.

Jack Leach to Saim Ayub, Darted in, on a nagging length, on off, punched off the back foot to cover by Ayub.

Shoaib Bashir to Kamran Ghulam, Fractionally short by Bashir, on off, Ghulam rocks back and pulls it over mid-wicket. Matthew Potts at long on, runs around to his right this time and mops it up. Two runs taken.

Shoaib Bashir to Kamran Ghulam, The line is outside the off stump, on a length, Kamran reaches out to push it to cover.

Shoaib Bashir to Kamran Ghulam, Floated up and it is slower as well, on off, Kamran skips down the track and drills it to the left of the bowler. The long on fielder gets around to his left and dives to save a couple of runs for his side.

Shoaib Bashir to Kamran Ghulam, Flatter and shorter, turning in, on off, Kamran goes deep in the crease to defend.

Shoaib Bashir to Saim Ayub, Turning away from the batter, on a length, on off, Ayub goes at it with hard hands. Gets an outside edge that goes wide of backward point for one.

Shoaib Bashir to Saim Ayub, Looped up, dipping in, around off, Ayub lunges and defends it on the off side.

Jack Leach to Kamran Ghulam, Angling in, on leg, Ghulam keeps it out on the leg side.

Jack Leach to Kamran Ghulam, Tossed up, full and on off, Kamran is forward in defence.

Jack Leach to Kamran Ghulam, Short and on off, punched to cover by Kamran.

Jack Leach to Kamran Ghulam, Beaten! Drifting in and then spinning away, on off, Kamran is neither forward nor back as he plays for the ball angling into him. The ball lands and then spins away to beat the bat. The replays show that a bit of dust popped out from where the ball landed.

Jack Leach to Saim Ayub, A hint of drift away from the left-hander, fuller and on off, Ayub presses forward and eases it wide of cover for a quick single.

Jack Leach to Saim Ayub, This goes on with the arm, short and on off, Ayub taps it back to the bowler with a straight bat. 

Shoaib Bashir to Kamran Ghulam, FOUR! Good shot! A bit too full by Bashir and offers width on off, Kamran gets his weight on the front foot and creams the drive through covers for a boundary.

Shoaib Bashir to Kamran Ghulam, Pushed through, flat and short, on middle, Kamran tucks it to short leg.

Shoaib Bashir to Saim Ayub, Edgy! Bashir drags the length back and slows it up. Lands around middle and leg, on a nagging length, Ayub gets turned around as he looks to keep it out with a straight bat. Defends it with soft hands and that results in the outside edge going along the ground and past first slip for a run.

Shoaib Bashir to Saim Ayub, Floated up again, on off, Ayub gets on the front foot and defends.

Shoaib Bashir to Saim Ayub, Drifting in, full and around off, Ayub reaches out in front and blocks it well.

Shoaib Bashir to Saim Ayub, Looped up first up by Bashir, full and on off, Ayub gets to the pitch of the ball and smothers the spin.

Who bowls next? It will be Shoaib Bashir (9-1-21-0) to bowl.

Jack Leach to Kamran Ghulam, Slightly wide on off, short in length, Kamran cuts well but can't get it past the man at cover-point. Leach starts with a maiden!

Jack Leach to Kamran Ghulam, Darted in again, around off, Kamran picks out the man at cover again.

Jack Leach to Kamran Ghulam, Keeps it flat and short, on off, Kamran punches it from the crease to cover.

Jack Leach to Kamran Ghulam, Pushed through, short and on off, Kamran is quick to get on the back foot and punches it to a straightish short cover.

Jack Leach to Kamran Ghulam, Very full by Leach, on off, Kamran taps it to the left of the bowler.

Jack Leach to Kamran Ghulam, Starts from around the wicket, tosses it up, full and on off, Kamran lunges and defends it out.

Welcome back for the post-Lunch session, folks! The umpires are punctual to make their way out to the middle and so are the players of England who take their field positions. From 19/2, Kamran Ghulam and Saim Ayub have done well to hold onto their ends and will resume their innings. It will be Jack Leach (10-0-35-2) to resume the proceedings in the second session. Here we go!

... DAY 1, SESSION 2 ...

Well then, the first session of this second Test has flown by. The ball has spun and gripped well for the tweakers, on the first day itself. Although not an extravagant spin, just a bit of a purchase off the deck. Pakistan will be happy to have not lost any wickets further. They would want to build on in the second session as it is usually considered the best time to bat in Test cricket. While England's aim will be to break this partnership quickly after the break. Session 2 begins in 40 minutes, at 7.40 am GMT. Stay tuned.

As Ben Stokes is known for his instant change of plans, he shuffled the spinners and even introduced Joe Root as a floater to extract more spin and unsettle the Pakistan batters. But Saim and Ghulam didn't flinch and constructed a solid resilient 3rd wicket stand, adding 60 runs together and sailing without further blemish to the end of the session. Overall, the first hour belonged to England, and the next was dominated by Pakistan, making it even-stevens.

England's initial approach with seamers Matthew Potts and Brydon Carse yielded next to little movement off the pitch. Sensing the lack of assistance for pace early on, skipper Ben Stokes swiftly changed tack, bringing on his spin duo. The wicket, as predicted pre-match, offered a bit of turn, grip, and variable bounce. This tactical shift paid dividends almost immediately, with Jack Leach striking twice in quick succession to drag Pakistan on the back foot. 

Facing early pressure, Saim Ayub partnered with debutant Kamran Ghulam to steady the ship. The pair navigated the spinning deliveries with caution and alert, preventing further casualties. Kamran Ghulam in particular, new to this flavor of cricket, showed good character and didn't look afraid to play the strokes against the spinners while Saim Ayub was solid in defense. The two kept the scorecard ticking at a sedate pace.

LUNCH, DAY 1 - Session Summary - 29 overs, 79 runs, 2 wickets. Quite fair to say, a shared session. Pakistan did lose two early wickets but the third wicket stand sailed them through to the end of the session. Pakistan won the toss and elected to bat on a pitch that looked vastly different from the first Test. Openers Abdullah Shafique and Saim Ayub started cautiously, trying to get a feel for the surface. However, the introduction of spin bowling quickly turned the tide, with Pakistan losing both Shafique and captain Shan Masood cheaply within the first hour.

Matthew Potts to Saim Ayub, On a length from around the wicket, on middle and leg, Saim Ayub stabs it down on the leg side. THAT WILL BE LUNCH ON DAY 1!

Matthew Potts to Saim Ayub, Banged in short again, on off and middle, Ayub ducks and lets it be.

Matthew Potts to Saim Ayub, Did Ayub make any contact there? Potts' reaction seems to suggest so. Into the wicket goes Potts, around middle and leg, Ayub swivels for the pull shot but the ball comes onto the bat slower than he expected. It catches the feather of the toe end of the bat and dies down on its way to the keeper. Jamie Smith collects it on the bounce, moving away to his right.

Matthew Potts to Saim Ayub, Not close enough to make the bater play, on a length, outside off, left alone by Ayub.

Matthew Potts to Saim Ayub, Slanting in, full and on off, Ayub keeps his bat close to the front pad and defends with a straight bat.

Matthew Potts to Kamran Ghulam, A bit too straight from Potts, on a hard length, at the hips, glanced down to deep fine leg for a run by Kamran.

Brydon Carse to Saim Ayub, Play and a miss! Back of a length, on off, not that wide for the cut. Ayub goes after it and gets beaten as the ball stays a bit low and sneaks under his bat.

Brydon Carse to Saim Ayub, At 138 kph, full and on off, Ayub pushes it with a straight bat to the right of mid off. He wants a quick single and is almost halfway through the run. Kamran sends him back and since this was hit away from the fielder, Ayub managed to get back in.