Masood and Shafique lead Pakistan in dominant start to 1st test against England

MULTAN, Pakistan (AP) — Captain Shan Masood and Abdullah Shafique struck aggressive half centuries and led Pakistan’s positive start in the first test against a new-look England pace attack on Monday.

Left-handed Masood was unbeaten on an attractive 61 off 59 balls while Shafique struck form with 53 not out as Pakistan sped to lunch at 122-1 in 25 overs.

Masood raised his 15th test half century off 43 balls with six boundaries and successfully overturned an onfield lbw decision through television referral which denied fast bowler Brydon Carse his first wicket on his debut.

Shafique, who struggled in Pakistan’s 2-0 loss against Bangladesh in the last series, opened up late in the first session and smashed off-spinner Shoaib Bashir for two fours and a six over long-on to raise his half century off 77 balls just before lunch.

Bashir had been expensive in his six overs, going for 42 off his six overs.

Shafique also survived a close run-out chance when captain Ollie Pope’s under-arm throw from close range missed the stumps at the non-striker’s end with the batter well-short of his crease.

Gus Atkinson, playing his first overseas test match, gave England an early success when Saim Ayub gloved a leg-side catch in fast bowler’s second over after Masood won the toss and elected to bat.

But Masood batted with lot of intent – both against Carse and Bashir – and pierced the offside field for attractive boundaries as England struggled to stem the flow of runs on a wicket which has a tinge of grass.

Pakistan had been searching for its first test win at home in more than 3-1/2 years since last beating South Africa in early 2021. It kept faith on the same struggling batting line-up for the opening game of three-match series.

Masood, who has lost all the five test matches since being elevated as skipper last year, said at the coin toss that the team “is hurt” from the recent results, especially losing some of the games after coming close to winning positions.

Fast bowling all-rounder Aamer Jamal, who missed the series against Bangladesh, has recovered from back injury and will combine with two frontline fast bowlers Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah as Pakistan also included specialist spinner Abrar Ahmed.

England’s regular test captain Ben Stokes will miss the series opener because he is yet to fully recover from a hamstring injury he sustained during the Hundred.

Stokes presented a test cap to his Durham team-mate Carse, who bowled consistently at 140mph, without success.

Multan will host back-to-back test matches after the second test was shifted from Karachi due to construction work going on at the National Bank Stadium for next year’s Champions Trophy. Rawalpindi will host the third and final test from Oct. 24.

England swept Pakistan 3-0 when it toured Pakistan in 2022.

AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket

Pakistan's Abdullah Shafique, center, and Shan Masood, left, run between the wickets as England's Brydon Carse watches during the first day of the first test cricket match between Pakistan and England, in Multan, Pakistan, Monday, Oct. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed)

Pakistan's Abdullah Shafique, left, and Shan Masood run between the wickets during the first day of the first test cricket match between Pakistan and England, in Multan, Pakistan, Monday, Oct. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed)

Pakistan's Saim Ayub walks off the field after his dismissal during the first day of the first test cricket match between Pakistan and England, in Multan, Pakistan, Monday, Oct. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed)

Players of England, left, and Pakistan stand for their national anthem before the start of the play of first test cricket match between Pakistan and England, in Multan, Pakistan, Monday, Oct. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed)

England's Chris Woakes bowls during the first day of the first test cricket match between Pakistan and England, in Multan, Pakistan, Monday, Oct. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed)

England's Gus Atkinson, second left, celebrates with teammates after taking the wicket of Pakistan's Saim Ayub during the first day of the first test cricket match between Pakistan and England, in Multan, Pakistan, Monday, Oct. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed)

England's Brydon Carse appeals unsuccessfully LBW out of Pakistan's Shan Masood during the first day of the first test cricket match between Pakistan and England, in Multan, Pakistan, Monday, Oct. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed)

Pakistan's Abdullah Shafique plays a shot during the first day of the first test cricket match between Pakistan and England, in Multan, Pakistan, Monday, Oct. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed)

Pakistan's Shan Masood plays a shot during the first day of the first test cricket match between Pakistan and England, in Multan, Pakistan, Monday, Oct. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed)

Pakistan's test team skipper Shan Masood, right, and his England's counterpart Ollie Pope pose for photograph with test series trophy, in Multan, Pakistan, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed)

England's Brydon Carse, center, hugs with Ben Stokes after receiving test debut before the start of the play of first test cricket match between Pakistan and England, in Multan, Pakistan, Monday, Oct. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed)

England's Ollie Pope watches after the coin toss before the start of the play of first test cricket match between Pakistan and England, in Multan, Pakistan, Monday, Oct. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed)

Pakistan's Shan Masood, right, shakes hand with England's Ollie Pope after coin toss before the start of the play of first test cricket match between Pakistan and England, in Multan, Pakistan, Monday, Oct. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed)

Pakistan's Shan Masood, right, flips the coin for toss as England's Ollie Pope, left, watches before the start of the play of first test cricket match between Pakistan and England, in Multan, Pakistan, Monday, Oct. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed)

STOCKHOLM (AP) — The Nobel prizes award season begins Monday with the announcement by a panel at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm of the winner of this year's medicine award.

Last year, the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine went to Hungarian-American Katalin Karikó and American Drew Weissman for discoveries that enabled the creation of mRNA vaccines against COVID-19 that were critical in slowing the pandemic.

The medicine prize has been awarded 114 times to a total of 227 laureates — the title given to winners. Only 13 women have won been awarded the prize that carries a cash award of 11 million Swedish kronor ($1 million) from a bequest left by the prize’s creator, Swedish inventor Alfred Nobel.

The laureates are invited to receive their awards at ceremonies on Dec. 10, the anniversary of Nobel’s death.

Nobel announcements continue with the physics prize on Tuesday, chemistry on Wednesday and literature on Thursday. The Nobel Peace Prize will be announced Friday and the economics award on Oct. 14.

Corder reported from The Hague, Netherlands.

FILE - A close-up view of a Nobel Prize medal at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, Md., Tuesday, Dec. 8, 2020. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)

FILE - A bust of Alfred Nobel on display following a press conference at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden, on Monday, Oct. 3, 2022. (Henrik Montgomery/TT News Agency via AP, File)