Arthur could not be more proud of his Pakistan team

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Coach Mickey Arthur said that he could not be more proud of his Pakistan charges after yet another dominant display on day two of the first Test against England.

Pakistan piled up a 166 run first innings lead on the second day making England work hard in the field after the hosts were knocked over cheaply on day one.

Arthur was full of praise for his team , believing the bowlers have set up the match for his side.

Soeaking to Sky Sports Arthur said: “We’ve had two good days and we’ll enjoy them, but we’ve got a hell of a lot of work still to do.

“Preparation was good but execution is another thing. I couldn’t be more proud of my bowlers.”

Arthur could be especially proud of his young middle order who all showed stomach for the fight with Babar Azam looking every bit a Test batsman before he had to leave the field injured and Azhar Ali and Asad Shafiq leading the way with half centuries.

Allrounders Shadab Khan and Faheem Ashraf contributed significantly as well and the XI appears to have a very good balance right now.

Arthur added: “We wanted runs from everybody. I’m really pleased with the way we fought. If we can get another 25 on top of that and do exactly what we did in the first innings – bowl in the right areas and apply some pressure – then we’ve got a really good chance.”

Pakistan have two wickets in hand having made their way to 350 by stumps but it is unclear if Babar will return to complete his innings.

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