England vs pakistan 2022 Ravalpindi Test
England banged Pakistan's world-class bowling on day one in the Rawalpindi test (ESPNcricinfo)

England vs Pakistan: On the first day of a Test match, no side has ever attacked so furiously either with such style. 506 for four by England dispelled any fears of last summer that it was an anomaly and set a record even for this side. England amassed 506 runs on day one. They showed no signs of that bug that threatened to delay the start of the series. 

Four young batsmen batted like seasoned veterans at the top of their game as Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes sat back and observed, displaying what can happen when you have the guts to stand by your beliefs and give players the support they need to play freely. Zak Crawley scored a brilliant hundred for confirmation, Ben Duckett scored one for atonement, Ollie Pope displayed maturity and consistency, and Harry Brook scored the finest of the bunch from 80 balls in just his second Test innings.

England tour of Pakistan 2022: England was touring Pakistan where England was to play 7 T20Is and 3 test matches. Before the start of the World Cup 2022, the 7 t20i series came to an end, which was won by England by a margin of 4-3. After the World Cup, England traveled to Pakistan to finish the three-test series.

England vs Pakistan 2022
England banged Pakistan’s world-class bowling on day one in the Rawalpindi test (ESPNcricinfo)

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England Vs Pakistan: 1st Test | Day one | Review

On December 1, the first of three Test matches kicked into gear at Rawalpindi Stadium (Rawalpindi). After winning the toss, Ben Stokes elected to bat first, and their decision was vindicated by their batsmen. Crawley scored 14 runs in the very first over of the test, which itself is a test record for England cricket.

Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett got the visitors off to a fantastic start, compiling century stands in 13.5 overs on a pitch that was almost nil for the bowlers. Crawley reached his century in 86 balls, and Duckett quickly followed. Ollie Pope reached the century, but Root was unsuccessful in his attempt to play an aggressive sweep. Harry Brook had the opportunity to become England’s fastest Test hundred after hitting Saud Shakeel for six fours in a single over, but he slowed down in the 90s and fell short of the record. He scored a hundred today, becoming the fourth England batsman to do so, and he did it in just 80 balls. Stokes rushed into T10 mode and quickly reached 34 off 15 balls. Light came to Pakistan’s rescue to end the misery of the day.

England Vs Pakistan: 1st Test | Day one | Scorecard:

England Innings: 

BATTING RB4s6sSR
Zak Crawley b Haris Rauf122111210109.90
Ben Duckett lbw b Zahid Mahmood10711015097.27
Ollie Pope lbw b Mohammad Ali108104140103.84
Joe Root lbw b Zahid Mahmood23313074.19
Harry Brook not out10181142124.69
Ben Stokesnot out341561226.66
BOWLINGOMRWECON
Naseem Shah1509606.40
Mohammad Ali1719615.64
Haris Rauf1317816.00
Zahid Mahmood23116026.95
Agha Salman503807.60
Saud Shakeel2030015.00

On the first day of a Test match on Thursday, England became the first side to score 500 runs, crushing Pakistan in Rawalpindi. At the end of the play, the tourists had posted a score of 506-4 thanks to the hundreds of four English batsmen. Australia scored 494 runs against South Africa in Sydney in 1910, breaking the previous record for the opening day of a test match.

Only four other times, three by England and one by Sri Lanka, have more than 500 runs been scored in a single day, but never on the first day of a Test. In a 1936 test match against India, England amassed a score of 588 to set the record.

England vs Pakistan ravalpindi test 2022
Crawley smashed 100 off 86 balls (ECB Twitter)

No other England opener has scored a century faster than Crawley’s in 86 balls. England’s 174 without a wicket before lunch was their highest score in the first Test season and the record books don’t tell us that 6.74 an over is the best ever, but it must have been a great performance to beat.

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