Pakistan’s Abrar Ahmed made a stunning Test debut by claiming seven for 114 to bowl out England for 281 on a frenetic opening day of the second Test on Friday.

Pakistan were 107/2 in reply, with skipper Babar Azam leading their bid for a series-levelling victory with a fluent 61 not out.

Saud Shakeel was on 32 at the other end when bad light stopped play.

Pakistan are still 174 behind but will be happy with how they have bounced back from the defeat in the opening Test in Rawalpindi.

“I will not forget this day,” Abrar told Sky Sports via an interpreter. “I want to win this match for Pakistan and also do well in the coming matches. I bowled cross-seam to start to see what was required. Variations were the key on this pitch.”

A bespectacled spinner mowing down the top half of England’s explosive batting line-up in the first session of his debut Test is hardly what visiting captain Ben Stokes would have expected after he won the toss and elected to bat.

This is the first time when all 10 wickets have gone to Pakistan’s leg spinners — Abrar 7 and Zahid Mahmood 3.

Pakistan opted for a spin heavy attack while rejigging the squad, picking Mohammad Ali as their lone seamer sharing the new ball with all-rounder Faheem Ashraf.

Brief scores: England 281 (Ben Duckett 63, Ollie Pope 60; Abrar Ahmed 7/114, Zahid Mahmood 3/63). Pakistan 107/2 (Babar Azam batting 61).

Written with Reuters inputs

Know Abrar

⚫ Pakistan’s Abrar Ahmed is the only second debutant to take a 5-wicket haul before lunch on the opening day of a Test after West Indian Alf Valentine at Manchester in June 1950.

⚫ Abrar, 24, a leg spinner who can bowl both the googly and the carrom ball, is a mystery spinner in the true sense as the England batters found out in Multan on Friday.

⚫ He speaks Pashto, but is born and raised in Karachi, and learnt the tricks of the trade at the Rashid Latif Academy. The former wicketkeeper believes Abrar will play a significant role with the white ball and could be their trump card in next year’s World Cup.

⚫ Known as the Harry Potter of Pakistan cricket, Abrar came into prominence while playing for Karachi Kings in the PSL in 2017 but a stress fracture on his lower back sidelined him for few years. He returned in 2020 in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy and hasn’t looked back.

⚫ Abrar graduated through the age-group and first-class levels, picking up 85 wickets in five years, the majority of which came in the last two seasons — 32 in 2021-22 and 24 so far in 2022-23.

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Australians make merry

Marnus Labuschagne en route to his 163 against the West Indies at Adelaide Oval on Friday. Getty Images

Adeialde: Travis Head and Marnus Labuschagne’s 297- run partnership set Australia on course for a declaration in the second Test on Friday before Michael Neser took two wickets under lights to consolidate the home team’s dominance in the day-night match against the West Indies.

Head’s 175 and Labuschagne’s 163 helped Australia to 511/7 before stand-in skipper Steve Smith declared the innings just before the second interval on Day 2.

Opener Tagenarine Chanderpaul resisted the Australian attack for 98 deliveries, scoring a defiant unbeaten 47 as the West Indies struggled to 102-4 at stumps.

Paceman Neser (2/20) had West Indies skipper Kraigg Brathwaite (19) and No. 3 Shamarh Brooks (8) caught behind and Nathan Lyon took a return catch to dismiss Jermaine Blackwood (3) and become the leading all-time wicket-taker at the Adelaide Oval with 57 wickets.

All-rounder Cameron Green chimed in late with the wicket of Devon Thomas (19).

Brief scores: Australia 511/7 decl (M. Labuschagne 163, T. Head 175; D. Thomas 2/53) West Indies 102/4 (T. Chanderpaul 47 batting, M. Neser 2/20). At stumps, Day II

AP/PTI