England thrash Pakistan, setting a new first-day Test scoreboard record.

England thrashed Pakistan in the Rawalpindi Test.
Four Englishmen batted in the hundreds during their match.
The previous record for first-day runs was 494.
On the first day of the first Test between England and Pakistan in Rawalpindi, four of England’s top five batsmen smashed rapid hundreds in a record-breaking day of batting.

It’s never happened before in a Test match, but the first day’s score of 500 is a new record.

England’s batting looked like a continuation of their successful campaign at the T20 World Cup in Australia despite playing on a flat ground against a Pakistan attack that contained three debutants.

England got off to a roaring start thanks to a 233-run opening stand from Zak Crawley (122) and Ben Duckett (107).

Ollie Pope, batting third, scored 108 runs, and Harry Brook, who batted without losing a wicket and finished with 101 runs on 81 deliveries, exemplified their strategy by hitting six fours in an over bowled by Saud Shakeel.

When play was called off due to darkness, the Pakistani team was probably relieved that Ben Stokes had reached 34 in his innings.

While batting first after Stokes won the toss, Crawley made an immediate statement of intent by smashing three boundaries in the first over bowled by Naseem Shah.

The lbw decision against Crawley was overturned when he was 99, and he went on to score the fastest century by an English Test opener off only 86 balls.

Duckett, in his first Test in six years, reached his first international century accompanied by a torrent of boundaries from the other end.

Even so, things heated up in the second session, with Zahid Mahmood and Haris Rauf taking three wickets between them.

The opener, Duckett, tried to play a reverse sweep, but Zahid, bowling leg spin, trapped him lbw.

After a brilliant knock that included 21 fours, Crawley was dismissed in the next over when Haris bowled him through the gate.

Joe Root, unable to capitalize on the benign surface, was dismissed for 23 after miscuing a sweep shot against Zahid.

Brook raced to a hundred off of just 80 balls, leaving no breathing room for Pakistan after Pope fell after he completed his third Test century.

After a virus knocked out several English players and delayed the start of the game, England was forced to make adjustments to their starting lineup.

Pope has been moved to wicketkeeper while Will Jacks has been brought in to take Ben Foakes’ place at wicket.

This will be England’s first Test tour of Pakistan since 2005, and they will be playing matches in both Multan and Karachi.