Crawley’s unbeaten 64 keeps England afloat as Pakistan posts 556 in first Test

Zak Crawley's unbeaten half-century has kept England in contention after Pakistan posted a formidable 556-run total on the second day of the first Test at Multan Cricket Stadium, reported 24NewsHD TV channel on Tuesday.

The tourists lost stand-in skipper Ollie Pope for a second-ball duck before Zak Crawley and Joe Root steadied the innings with 64 and 32 respectively at stumps.

 At the close of play on Day 2, England stood at 96/1, still trailing by 460 runs.

Crawley, who delivered an aggressive run-a-ball knock of 64 not out, displayed resilience in the face of Pakistan's dominant performance with the bat.

He was accompanied by Joe Root, who remained at the crease with a cautious 32 not out, providing steady support to England's top order as they aim to mount a response to Pakistan's first-innings total.

It was another tough day for England's bowlers as an unbeaten 104 from Salman and 82 by Saud Shakeel swelled Pakistan's total, which was set up by Shan Masood's 151 and Abdullah Shafique's 102 on Monday.

Pope, standing in for injured skipper Ben Stokes, was smartly caught by a leaping Aamer Jamal who plucked an uppish pull shot off pacer Naseem Shah with one hand at mid-wicket.

He had been drafted in to open the batting after Ben Duckett injured his left thumb taking a catch at the end of the Pakistan innings.

England need another 261 to avoid a follow-on -- a task eminently achievable on a pitch offering no help to bowlers.

Salman built on the good work of Shakeel and Naseem in the afternoon, reaching his third century with a single off spinner Jack Leach soon after the tea interval.

Salman, who also completed 1,000 Test runs during this knock when he reached 71, added a rapid 85 for the ninth wicket with Shaheen Shah Afridi, who scored 26.

In all, Salman cracked 10 boundaries and three sixes in his 119-ball knock -- surviving a catch by Chris Woakes when the third umpire declared the fielder's foot went beyond the rope.

"It's always satisfying to hit a century and contribute to the team's total," said Salman, who hoped the pitch would take spin in the next three days.

"I think cracks will open on this pitch and that will help spinners, I see this as a result-oriented pitch as both the teams will go for a result."

Salman added an invaluable 57 runs for the seventh wicket with Shakeel, who was caught smartly by Root at slip off Bashir for 82. Shakeel hit eight fours.

Leach was the most successful England bowler with 3-160, while Gus Atkinson finished with 2-99. Woakes, Shoaib Bashir and Root took one wicket apiece.

Pace bowler Brydon Carse took 2-74 on debut after trapping Jamal for seven. His first Test wicket was Naseem, caught at leg slip by Harry Brook before lunch for 33.

Carse said England's bowlers were made to toil on an unresponsive pitch.

"The last two days were immensely tough conditions for everyone out there," he said. "To be able to pick up a couple of wickets today is rewarding."

"It's been a tough graft but credit to the players for keep coming back."

The remaining Tests are in Multan (October 15-19) and Rawalpindi (October 24-28).