Naseem Shah ended up registering his highest score across all formats.
During the ongoing first of the three-match Pakistan vs England Test series, Pakistan speedster Naseem Shah flaunted his sheer batting mettle by hitting three massive maximums.
Naseem entered as a nightwatchman on day one following Babar Azam’s early dismissal after another low score. He started cautiously on day two of the contest, accumulating just seven runs from his first 41 deliveries. However, in the 97th over, he broke free from his shackles by smashing Shoaib Bashir for a six. Advancing down the pitch, Naseem covered the ball’s line and expertly used his wrists to send it over long-on.
Later, in the 103rd over, Naseem stepped forward to attack Jack Leach and lofted the ball into the midwicket stands for another six. His third six also came off Leach in the next over, as Naseem danced down the pitch and played a beautiful inside-out shot, launching the ball over long-off and beyond the boundary rope. Following the shot, Naseem held his follow-through, savouring the elegance of the stroke.
Naseem Shah was eventually dismissed after scoring 33 runs off 81 balls, his highest score in any format. His previous highest score in the longest format was 18. England debutant Brydon Carse also claimed his first Test wicket with this dismissal.
After Shan Masood (151) and Abdullah Shafique (102) set the tone of the innings, Pakistan are comfortably placed at 526-8 at the time of writing this report.
Pakistan drove on past 500 to put a commanding stamp on proceedings, with half-centuries from Saud Shakeel and Salman Agha adding onto the the strong platform laid by Masood and Shafique on Day 1.
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