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PAK 286/4 at stumps | Live Cricket Score Pakistan vs England 2015, 1st Test at Abu Dhabi, Day 1: Malik finishes on 124

Catch the live cricket updates from the opening day of the 1st Test between Pakistan and England.

Hello and Assalaam Alaikum! Welcome to CricketCountry’s live coverage of the opening day of the first match of the three-Test series between Pakistan and England at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday. The wait is finally over for the fans from either nations, for the two teams finally collide head on in a Test series in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for the first time since Andrew Strauss’s men were handed a 0-3 thrashing the last time they toured Pakistan’s adoptive home in the 2011-12 season. While Pakistan will draw inspiration from that emphatic series victory, they will be wary of England’s spirits, which are currently sky-high following their 3-2 series win in the Ashes 2015. LIVE CRICKET SCORECARD: Pakistan vs England 2015, 1st Test at Abu Dhabi, Day 1

It has been a day of ups and downs on a slow pitch at Abu Dhabi. James Anderson dismissed Shan Masood with a bouncer that ricocheted off his helmet on to the stumps. Ian Bell dropped Mohammad Hafeez, who took full advantage, and was unfortunate to miss out on his 9th Test hundred, falling for 98. Shoaib Malik scored a hundred on his comeback, and remained unbeaten on 122 — though he was caught at slip off a no-ball from Stuart Broad. Younis Khan went past Javed Miandad to become Pakistan’s highest run-scorer, but aggression led to his dismissal. Misbah-ul-Haq’s dismissal was controversial; S Ravi probably counted on a very, very faint noise. Bell dropped Asad Shafiq as well, who remained there at stumps. For England, Anderson, Broad, and Mark Wood all pitched the ball in the correct areas, not allowing Pakistan to score quickly, but Adil Rashid has disappointed on debut, his line and length being way off target. See you tomorrow, then!

LIVE CRICKET SCORE Pakistan 286/4 in 87 overs AT STUMPS, DAY 1Mohammad Hafeez 98 (170) Shan Masood 2 (6) Shoaib Malik 124* (230) Younis Khan 38 (57) Misbah-ul-Haq 3 (17) Asad Shafiq 11* (43) James Anderson 14-3-29-2 Stuart Broad 14-5-30-1 Ben Stokes 10-1-35-1 Mark Wood 13-3-34-0 Adil Rashid 17-0-76-0 Moeen Ali 19-2-73-0

LIVE CRICKET SCORE Pakistan 286/4 in 87 overs: The last five overs of the day (if life and time permit), and it will be good ol’ Jimmy to share the new ball as the shadows keep lengthening. Dazzling cover-drive from Shafiq to the fence, can they reach 300 by stumps tonight? Anderson finds the edge, and Bell drops the second regulation catch of the day, Shafiq lives to tell the tale! How crucial was that? In the pavilion Mushtaq Ahmed demonstrates slip-catching to Misbah. That will be STUMPSBATTING: Shoaib Malik 124 (230), Asad Shafiq 11 (43)

LIVE CRICKET SCORE Pakistan 279/4 in 85 overs: Wood comes round the wicket, still no new ball. The floodlights come on as Rashid runs in to bowl from the other end. Cook takes the new ball, Reiffel shows it to the scorers, and, surprise, surprise, Broad gets it ahead of Jimmy! Malik drives authoritatively through cover, they run hard for three. BATTING: Shoaib Malik 122 (225), Asad Shafiq 6 (36)

LIVE CRICKET SCORE Pakistan 268/4 in 80 overs: Shafiq is in, and Rashid is back. He is giving the ball more air this time, and seems to have found some accuracy unlike his previous spells. Malik cuts Anderson with panache, he looks at ease today. Shafiq pulls Rashid hard, hits Bairstow at bat-pad on his shoulder, but Li’l Jonny seems unconcerned — he is, after all, from the same county as Brian Close. Wood replaces Anderson, he has been the only one to have troubled Malik today, good move from Cook. The new ball is now available. BATTING: Shoaib Malik 114 (211), Asad Shafiq 5 (20)

LIVE CRICKET SCORE Pakistan 247/4 in 74.3 overs: Anderson bowls a deceptively fast one that whizzes past Misbah’s bat, Cook asks for a review. After a lot of speculation S Ravi rules him out caught-behind. If you ask me, there was nothing conclusive about the decision, at least from the replay. There is no Snickometer, by the way. The only thing that may have helped S Ravi was a vague sound, which may not have come from the bat. With that wicket Anderson goes past Wasim AkramBATTING: Shoaib Malik 103 (198)

OUT! Misbah-ul-Haq c Jos Buttler b James Anderson 3 (17)!

LIVE CRICKET SCORE Pakistan 247/3 in 70.1 overs: Cook’s field-placement pays off after an entire day’s criticism from commentators! There were two mid-ons, and Younis ends up hitting to Cook himself, who was standing almost next to the crease. This is a HUGE wicket for England, for Younis was looking extremely dangerous out there. That is also DRINKS at Abu Dhabi. Misbah is the new batsman. BATTING: Shoaib Malik 102 (190)

OUT! Younis Khan c Alastair Cook b Stuart Broad 38 (57)!

LIVE CRICKET SCORE Pakistan 246/2 in 69 overs: Younis leg-glances Moeen with ease, that will be four. Cook gets a leg-slip, but Younis glances again, that will be the fifty-run partnership. Younis continues to flow, cover-driving Broad for four more, stupendous stroke, that. Moeen comes round the wicket, bowls short, Younis whips through extra-cover for three. Shoaib drives past wide mid-on, four more, he is cruising! He comes down the pitch next ball and lofts over mid-off for one, he seems anxious for his hundred. Shoaib edges Broad, the ball goes through backward-point to reach the fence, hundred for Shoaib Malik, what a comeback, dude! BATTING: Shoaib Malik 102 (186), Younis Khan 37 (53) READ REPORT ON SHOAIB MALIK’S 100

LIVE CRICKET SCORE Pakistan 215/2 in 62 overs: Loud appeal for LBW for Stokes, Cook does not review, it was umpire’s call anyway. Malik responds with two gorgeous drives for four, one past cover, one behind point. Younis steps out against Moeen and dismisses him through cover, he is almost there. Malik responds with a four through mid-wicket, 200 comes up for England. Younis lofts Moeen over deep mid-wicket, he is now the leading scorer in Pakistan’s history! BATTING: Shoaib Malik 90 (167), Younis Khan 22 (30)

Pakistan’s session. Mohammad Hafeez and Shoaib Malik have accumulated runs single-mindedly, accelerating in the second hour of the session. Hafeez took the initiative but slowed down once he crossed 95, and following a couple of good overs from Wood, he fell LBW to Stokes. He was really unfortunate to miss out on a deserving ton. Malik has been cautious on his comeback innings. A riveting session awaits us after tea as Younis Khan will, in all probability, join Malik. Remember, he need a mere 19 to go past Javed Miandad and become the leading run-scorer in Pakistan’s history.

LIVE CRICKET SCORE Pakistan 173/2 in 54.2 overs: Stokes is back, and Hafeez cuts him for four. Stokes finds Hafeez’s edge, but it runs safely past gully for four more. Hafeez goes after Rashid next, slog-sweeping and lofting straight for consecutive boundaries. Wood replaces Rashid and starts with a yorker, Malik digs it out somehow, rather uncomfortably. Two balls later he jags one back in, cutting Malik in half, brushing his right thigh. Malik’s problem against the one that comes in persists. Wood bowls a maiden, he has been excellent in this spell. Hafeez shuffles across, Stokes raps him on the pad, Hafeez reviews, it is umpire’s call, would have clipped leg, Hafeez misses out on a 9th Test ton! BATTING: Shoaib Malik 72 (151)

OUT! Mohammad Hafeez LBW b Ben Stokes 98 (170)!

LIVE CRICKET SCORE Pakistan 141/1 in 45 overs: Moeen seems to have lost his rhythm, faltering in both line and length. Hafeez pulls a rank long-hop but hits to the fielder, missing out on a certain boundary. DRINKS. Shoaib pushes Moeen past mid-on to bring up his fifty, wonderful comeback. Rashid pitches slightly short, and Malik is on to it in a flash, cutting for four! He lofts the next ball, mistimes completely, but it falls in no man’s land, saved! The intent from the Pakistani batsmen is quite evident, 27 from the last five overs! BATTING: Mohammad Hafeez 77 (138), Shoaib Malik 61 (127)

LIVE CRICKET SCORE Pakistan 114/1 in 40 overs: Moeen flights one outside off, and Hafeez drives beautifully to bring up the hundred of the partnership. Moeen is still bowling a tight line, but it seems Hafeez is trying to break the shackles to move things along a bit. Hafeez tries to hit out against Moeen with an ominous-looking sweep, but the fielder is there. There is a sense of urgency in the middle, especially from Hafeez, whose footwork is more positive than what it was half an hour back. Meanwhile, Broad offers him a full-toss on leg-middle, and Hafeez flicks him casually for four. BATTING: Mohammad Hafeez 67 (128), Shoaib Malik 44 (107)

LIVE CRICKET SCORE Pakistan 101/1 in 35.1 overs: It has been a slow session after lunch. Moeen Ali has stuck to an off-stump line, bowling flat, not allowing the batsmen to get away. His figures read 8-2-13-0. Cook has been rotating his fast bowlers, letting them bowl in short bursts. Malik shuffled at one outside off against Broad, he was caught in the slips, but it was a no-ball, Broad had overstepped for probably the thousandth time in his Test career! BATTING: Mohammad Hafeez 58 (114), Shoaib Malik 40 (92)

Interestingly, that no-ball was the first extra of the innings, which is a commendable effort by the bowlers and Buttler.

LIVE CRICKET SCORE Pakistan 82/1 in Overs 27: Malik and Hafeez have taken Pakistan to 82 for 1 at lunch on Day One of the first Test at Abu Dhabi. This has been a wonderful partnership between them, and England will hope the post-lunch session brings about a few wickets. See you after the break. Enjoy your lunch! BATTING: Mohammad Hafeez 44 (86), Shoaib Malik 36 (70)

LIVE CRICKET SCORE Pakistan 79/1 in Overs 25: Superb batting from Hafeez and Malik, but one must admit that there has been nothing in this pitch for the poor English bowlers. England would hope for a couple of breakthroughs after lunch, because for now it looks like  Pakistan are on course to set a huge total. Even Rashid and Moeen have been ineffective so far. BATTING: Mohammad Hafeez 41 (78), Shoaib Malik 36 (65)

LIVE CRICKET SCORE Pakistan 60/1 in Overs 18: It has been Pakistan all the way in the last hour as both Mohammad Hafeez and Shoaib Malik have made merry. Both the batsmen have not given England any chance, and have put up a strong stand for the second wicket. With lunch break not more than 30 minutes away, they will be looking to carry on in the same manner. BATTING: Mohammad Hafeez 28 (57), Shoaib Malik 30 (55)

LIVE CRICKET SCORE Pakistan 24/1 in Overs 10: Ian Bell would be kicking himself for dropping a sitter in the second slip that gave a lifeline to the comeback man Shoaib Malik. Pakistan batsmen are looking to bide time in the middle and England have stopped getting the help from the ball which they were getting earlier. England have made changes in their bowling as Ben Stokes has replaced Stuart Broad, and James Anderson has been replaced by Mark Wood. BATTING: Mohammad Hafeez 11 (29), Shoaib Malik 11 (25)

LIVE CRICKET SCORE Pakistan 5/1 in Overs 3: Not much seam or swing movement but England have still managed to take a wicket. Anderson bowled a short delivery directed towards Shan Masood’s helmet, and the batsman played it awkwardly only to see the ball  hitting the wickets after smashing into the grill. It was not that special a delivery that Masood made it look like, it was a regulation bouncer. England strike early and Shoaib Malik is in the middle to join Mohammaz Hafeez. BATTING: Mohammad Hafeez 3 (11), Shoaib Malik o (1)

OUT! Shan Masood b James Anderson 3 (11)

TOSS: Pakistan have elected to bat against England, but the big blow that they have received is in form of Yasir Shah. The ace spinner has been ruled out of the Test and it will be a relief for England to not face the ace bowler in the opposition ranks.

Pakistan: Mohammad Hafeez, Shan Masood, Shoaib Malik, Younis Khan, Misbah-ul-Haq (c), Asad Shafiq, Sarfraz Ahmed (wk), Wahab Riaz, Zulfiqar Babar, Rahat Ali, Imran Khan

England: Alastair Cook (c), Moeen Ali, Ian Bell, Joe Root, Jonathan Bairstow (wk), Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler, Adil Rashid, Stuart Broad, Mark Wood, James Anderson

The hosts have had two major blows in the recent past. While No. 3 mainstay Azhar Ali was ruled out of the first Test due to a toe infection that he had contracted during his recent Hajj trip, Yasir Shah’s participation in the opening game is unlikely after the young leg-spinner developed back problems during a practice session ahead of the match. In the tourists camp, Steven Finn has been ruled out of the first match due to a stress injury on his left foot. PREVIEW: Pakistan vs England 2015, 1st Test at Abu Dhabi

It looks like Pakistan’s ace spinner Yasir Shah will not play in this Test. He suffered an injury during a training session on Monday, and limped out of the camp with the help of the others. His absence will certainly bring some relief to England, who presumably would not have found a solution to tackle him yet.

There are still some doubts over the participation of James Anderson, but his chances would have received a massive boost when Finn was ruled out of the opening Test. The attraction will however be on the likes of Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid, who is likely to make his debut.

Squads:

Pakistan: Misbah-ul-Haq (c), Ahmed Shehzad, Shan Masood, Azhar Ali, Mohammad Hafeez, Fawad Alam, Asad Shafiq, Younis Khan, Sarfraz Ahmed (wk), Yasir Shah, Zulfiqar Babar, Wahab Riaz, Imran Khan, Rahat Ali, Junaid Khan.

England: Alastair Cook (c), Moeen Ali, James Anderson, Zafar Ansari, Jonny Bairstow, Ian Bell, Stuart Broad, Jos Buttler (wk), Steven Finn, Alex Hales (wk), Liam Plunkett, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Ben Stokes, James Taylor, Mark Wood.

Catch live cricket scores and ball-by-ball commentary of 1st Test between Pakistan and England, Day 1 at Abu Dhabi here

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