SPORTS DESK
RAWALPINDI: Riding over the centuries of four batsmen, the England cricket team piled up a record 506-4 on the opening day of the first Test against Pakistan in Rawalpindi on Thursday.
The opening batsmen Zak Crawley (122) and Ben Duckett (107) gave a good start to their team. Ollie Pope (108) and Harry Brook (101 not out) build on and helped to post the record 506 runs at the end of the first day.
Ben Stokes, the hero of T20 World Cup, was also on the crease when bad light stopped the play. He made 34 runs and will test again his muscle tomorrow.
England breaks 112-year-old record
England broke a 112-year-old record of making the most runs on the first day of a test, surpassing Australia’s 494-6 against South Africa at Sydney.
England chose to bat after winning the toss and its batsmen seemed all aggressive to hit Pakistani bowlers. England’s fiery batting included three sixes and 73 boundaries. Brook, who was playing just his second Test, cracked six consecutive fours to debutant spinner Saud Shakeel.
He became only the fourth batter to hit six consecutive boundaries in a Test. Three cricket legends Ramnaresh Sarwan and Chris Gayle from West Indies and Sanath Jayasuriya from Sri Lanka had done it before. Brook reached his first century on the 80th ball. –APP
