Agha and Jamal's resilient stand offers glimmer of hope for Pakistan

England asserted their dominance on the fourth day of the first Test match against Pakistan, leaving the hosts reeling at 152 for six in their second innings, still trailing by 115 runs to avoid an innings defeat at the Multan Cricket Stadium.

Pakistan struggled to find their footing after resuming their second innings with a daunting deficit of 267 runs. The team suffered early setbacks, losing six wickets for just 82 runs in a mere 24.2 overs. However, a resilient partnership formed between Salman Ali Agha and Aamir Jamal provided some hope. The duo added an unbeaten 70-run stand for the seventh wicket, with Agha remaining not out on 41 from 49 balls, including five boundaries, while Jamal contributed 27 runs from 48 balls.

For England, Brydon Carse and Gus Atkinson were the standout bowlers, each claiming two wickets to further dent Pakistan's chances of a comeback.

Earlier in the day, England resumed their first innings at an overnight score of 492 for three, with Joe Root and Harry Brook building an astonishing partnership that became the fourth-highest in Test history. The pair crafted a monumental 454-run stand, with Root scoring an impressive 262 runs off 375 deliveries, featuring 17 boundaries. This innings marked Root's sixth double century in Test cricket and his second against Pakistan.

The highlight of the day was Brook's extraordinary triple century, which placed him among an elite group of only six England batters to achieve this milestone. Brook's remarkable innings came to an end at 317 runs off 322 balls, decorated with 29 fours and three sixes. England eventually declared their first innings at a staggering 823 for seven after 150 overs, marking the fourth-highest team total in Test match history.

Pakistan's bowling effort saw Naseem Shah and Saim Ayub each take two wickets, but the hosts were left with a mountain to climb as they headed into the final day of the match, needing to show resilience to avoid an innings defeat against a formidable English side.

Pakistan's Playing XI for first Test: Saim Ayub, Abdullah Shafique, Shan Masood (C), Babar Azam, Saud Shakeel (VC), Mohammad Rizwan (Wk), Salman Ali Agha, Aamir Jamal, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, and Abrar Ahmad.

England Playing XI for first Test: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope (C), Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jamie Smith, Chris Woakes, Gus Atkinson, Brydon Carse (Debut), Jack Leach, and Shoaib Bashir.