Misbah century propels Pakistan on Day 1

Amidst all the drama and name-calling surrounding Mohammad Amir's highly-anticipated Test comeback, the surprise recall of Gary Ballance, James Anderson's fitness and the subsequent debut for young Jake Ball, what went unnoticed was that the first Test of the four-match series between England and the visiting Pakistan team was also the first time Misbah-ul-Haq was sporting whites on English soil. Misbah sure couldn't have asked for a better setting than the iconic Lord's Cricket Ground in London. And he certainly couldn't have provided a more fitting response to the sticky situation his team found themselves in. Reduced to 77 for 3 less than ten balls into the second session, Pakistan needed their captain to bail them out of trouble. Misbah responded beautifully and crafted two crucial partnerships to guide the visitors to a respectable 282 for 6 at stumps on Thursday (July 14). Misbah made the most of an early reprieve that came along when he was on just 16 as Joe Root grassed a tough, low chance despite a desperate dive to his left. With senior pro Younis Khan, Misbah raised a 57-run stand for the fourth wicket - their 12th partnership of 50 or more in the last 16 innings. After the former became Stuart Broad's first victim of the day, Misbah went on to build an all-important fifth-wicket partnership with Asad Shafiq (73 off 130 balls) worth 148 runs that blunted the home team's attack and put visitors in control at the end of day's play. In the process, the captain etched his name in history books and on the Lord's honours board with his 10th Test century - also his maiden three-figure milestone in England, all formats put together. The 42-year-old also became the oldest captain to score a Test hundred against any opposition, and celebrated in a rather unique way - with a few push-ups - while the packed house at Lord's as well as his teammates, applauded in awe. Misbah brought up his 33rd half-century with a couple off Chris Woakes soon after the Tea break, and also earned the ignominy of scoring 50-plus knocks in each of the Test-playing nations except his home soil. Shafiq, with a single off Woakes in the 59th over, scaled their 15th half-century stand - most for a pair since 2010. Soon after, Misbah upped the ante with four boundaries in an over off Moeen Ali, the second of which brought up the 100 of their alliance. Earlier in the day, opener Mohammad Hafeez (40) and No. 4 batsman Younis (33) failed to capitalise on their starts and threw their wickets away after the visitors won the toss and elected to bat on a bright, sunny morning. Woakes struck twice in the morning session - dismissing both the Pakistan openers - to give the home team an edge. In the absence of too much assistance for the bowlers, Hafeez started briskly, but despite an early reprieve that came his way when James Vince put down a catch in the slips, his stay in the middle lasted just 59 deliveries. After the loss of two early wickets, Younis and Azhar Ali added 25 runs to Pakistan's total going into the first break of the day. The intermission, however, led to a lapse in concentration as Jake Ball dismissed Azhar in the second over of the second session. The young pacer opened his account in Test cricket with a perfect yorker that had Azhar tumbling over and getting struck on the front toe in line for a leg before wicket decision. Unhappy with on-field umpire's call, the No. 3 batsman decided to use a review. Rod Tucker, the third umpire, stuck with Kumar Dharmasena's decision after the Hawk-Eye showed that the ball might have just about clipped Azhar's leg stump. Misbah and Younis led the recovery with the first half-century stand of the day but Pakistan's joy was short-lived. Broad broke the partnership that was starting to take the game away from the hosts as Younis gifted Moeen Ali a regulation catch at short mid-wicket with a tame flick. Misbah, however, held one end and stayed unbeaten on 48 before the umpires called for Tea with Pakistan's scoreboard reading 158 for 4. Giving him company at the other end was Shafiq (12 not out), who sent the ball to the third-man fence off Woakes to take his team past the 150-run mark in the penultimate over before the break. Unlike the previous session though, the visitors started on the front foot in the final session of the day and the unbeaten pair added 124 more to their stand. When nothing seemed to be working for the home team, Woakes, coming back into the attack for the final time in the day, struck rightaway to break the dangerous stand with Shafiq's wicket who gave away an easy edge to Bairstow behind the stumps. On a day when the bowlers had to toil hard for wickets, Woakes wrapped up a rather successful outing with a fourth scalp as he got Rahat Ali, the nightwatchman, for a duck in his following over, forcing the umpires to call for stumps on a see-saw Day 1. Brief scores: Pakistan 282/6 (Misbah-ul-Haq 110*, Asad Shafiq 73; Chris Woakes 4-45) vs England