PAK Vs ENG, 1st Test: Virus-Hit England Smash 500 Runs On Day 1

Virus-hit England stamped its aggressive brand of cricket on its first Test in Pakistan in 17 years by amassing a world record 506-4 with four batters smashing hundreds on Thursday. (More Cricket News)

Zak Crawley hit 122 and Ben Duckett made 107 in a blistering opening stand of 233. Ollie Pope and Harry Brook blazed hundreds in the last session in an astonishing display of power-hitting against an inexperienced Pa🍨kistan bowli🥂ng attack.

And the Test almost didn't start.

England confirmed it had a fit 11 and the match cou⭕ld go ahead only two hours before the toss. Then it destroyed a host ൩of records in only 75 overs before play ended prematurely because of bad light.

The 506-4 total was the highest on the first day of any Test, surpassing Aust🦩ralia's 494-6 in 1910 against South Africa in Sydney. England also became the fastest team to score 500 runs.

Pope, who will keep wickets🍌 after Ben Foakes couldn't recover from a viral infection thꦡat hit the England camp, cemented coach Brendon McCullum's aggressive approach by making 108.

Brook struck six fou💃rs in one over by debutant Saud Shakeel in the final session to reach 101 not out.

Captain Ben St🦹okes, who won the toss and elected to bat after recovering in time from the virus, was not out on 34 off 15 balls.

England batters smashed 73 boundaries and🌞 three sixes in a white-ball fireworks display with the red ball.

In th🅷e absence of injured spearhead Shaheen Afrꦺidi, Pakistan opted to hand debuts to three bowlers; fast bowlers Haris Rauf and Mohammad Ali and legspinner Mohammad Zahid.

But none of 𝄹the bowlers could extract any help from a slow, grassless pitch at Pindi Cric൲ket Stadium.

Surprisingly, Joe Root was the only batter to miss out when he fell to Mahmood, who finished the day with 2-1𒈔68. Rauf (1-78) and Ali (1-96) shared the other wicke🌜ts.

Crawley and Duckett combined in a better-than-run-a-ball 233 stand before Pakistan picked up three wickets in the midd⛎le session when Mahmood and Rauf struck in successive overs with the old ball.

Mahmood broke the stand when Duckett went for a reverse sweep against t🔴he leg-spinner and Pakistan successfully went for a TV referral against on-💯field umpire Joe Wilson's not out decision.

Rauf then swung in late and clattered Crawley's stumps in the next over. B🦄ut England's intent to score at pace didn't subside after the dismissal of the two century-mak♚ers.

Joe Root wa🐠s out lbw for 23 when he was struck on the back leg while attempti💝ng a sweep.

Crawley was on 99 when Naseem Shah trapped him on the backfoot, but Crawley successfully overturned the decision as video suggested꧋ the ball would have missed the leg stump.

Two b🌜alls later, Crawley achieved the fastest test century by an England opener off 86 balls with a cover-driven boundary, and Duckett reached his m🐟aiden hundred by pulling Rauf to the legside for four.

Crawley and Duckett stoꦇrmed E🍌ngland to 174-0 in the first session.

Crawley missed an opportunity to become the first Englishma🐎n to smash a century before lunch in a test match wh♌en he reached 91, while Duckett dominated Mahmood's spin to make 77.

Crawley was ruthless against Rauf's short-pitched deliveries and the gentle medium pace of ᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤♌⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚAli, too, to raise his half-century off only 38 balls with 11 fours. He hit another six boundaries in the session.

Duckett dominated the leg-spin of Mahmood with his trademark sweep✤ shots and didn't hesitate to attack the spinner earlꦿy with a reverse-swept boundary. He completed his maiden Test half-century off 50 balls.

The start of the Test was confirmed at only 7:30 a.m. local time after the Pakistan Cricket Board said England "informed (them) they ⭕are in a position to field an XI, and, as su🐬ch, the first test will commence as per schedule today."

England had to make a change in its playing XI at the last minute. Foa💫kes was replaced by Will Jacks, who will make his test debut, and Pope will keep. Liam Livingstone will also debut.