England are defied by debut ton from Kamran Ghulam as Pakistan reach 259 for five on day one in the second Test at Multan

There was less than half an hour to go on the first evening of the second Test when Shoaib Bashir made the breakthrough England craved.

It had not been an easy day for Ben Stokes’s team, well though they stuck to their task in temperatures touching 35 degrees. And it has not been an easy tour for Bashir, in theory England’s No 1 spinner but outbowled by Jack Leach both last week and for much of the opening day here.

Now, with the sun setting and Kamran Ghulam 118 runs into an assured first Test innings following the controversial dropping of Babar Azam, Pakistan’s new No 4 advanced menacingly at Bashir and played inside an off-break that turned and dislodged leg bail.

Had the ball not hit, Jamie Smith would surely have completed the stumping. But the moment of impact was also a moment of catharsis for a bowler whose two wickets in this series have cost 111.

Ghulam’s dismissal meant Pakistan got to the close of a slow-moving day on 259 for five – hardly out of reach against an England team who brushed aside their first-innings 556 in the first Test, but a basis for negotiation on a used surface expected to deteriorate further.

Kamran Ghulam became the second-oldest Pakistan batter to hit a century on debut on day one

Ghulam batted for over five hours on the first day but fell late in the day to Bashir 

If and when it starts to crumble, and by how much, are the questions that could determine the outcome of this game – and, possibly, the fate of the series.

But everyone was agreed that the toss won by Shan Masood at 9.30am was the necessary first blow in Pakistan’s attempts to fight back after last week’s humiliating innings defeat.

Even so, when Jack Leach – bowling his left-arm spin as early as the sixth over – knocked back Abdullah Shafique’s off stump for seven with one that turned past his defensive push, then had Masood chipping carelessly to Zak Crawley at short midwicket, Pakistan were 19 for two, and pre-Test predictions of a truncated match seemed set to play out.

Whether teams should be encouraged to re-use a pitch in back-to-back Tests is another matter, and there were moments early on that must have interested ICC match referee Richie Richardson. It is a gamble Pakistan’s new-look selection panel, desperate for victory after six successive defeats, were willing to take.

But much of the low bounce occurred outside the line of the stumps, lessening the likelihood of an unfortunate bowled or lbw. And, in any case, the bowlers felt far more in the game than they had last week. Slow or not, the cricket was often absorbing.

Had England reviewed a caught-behind appeal from the excellent Matthew Potts against Mohammad Rizwan on six, they might even have reached the close in charge. But the conviction of close fielders Crawley and Ben Duckett was not backed up by Joe Root at slip or Smith, and Rizwan rode his luck to finish on 37.

‘There was a decent noise going past the bat,’ said Potts. ‘The guys in front of the bat heard it, but the slip and keeper didn’t. You have to trust the guys behind the stumps because they have the best view of it.

‘I thought it was softish noise – could have been bat off pad. I was happy with whichever decision we went with. Unfortunately it was the wrong one.’

It was far from a routine day in the field for the tourists who contended with 35-degree heat

Bashir has not had the smoothest tour with his two wickets costing a princely 111 in Pakistan

Durham quick Matthew Potts was denied a wicket after his side turned down a review

That, though, took only a little of the gloss off an outstanding performance from Potts and Brydon Carse – with Stokes forming an all-Durham pace attack to go with the two Somerset spinners.

Carse was the best seamer on either side on debut in the first Test, and was almost unhittable as the ball reversed after tea. Rizwan in particular could barely lay a bat on him during 11 high-class overs that cost just 14 and included the wicket of Saud Shakeel, caught behind for four being forced on to the back foot by Carse’s aggression.

Potts, playing his first overseas Test after eight at home (including four at Lord’s), was scarcely less impressive, conceding only 36 runs from 17 typically wholehearted overs.

And it was he who heralded England’s recovery either side of tea with the wicket of the left-handed opener Saim Ayub for a painstaking 77 from 160 balls, caught by Stokes at shortish mid-off – a one of several innovative field placings by England’s returning captain.

Harshly dropped last month for the third Test against Sri Lanka at The Oval, and passed over for the first half of Multan’s double-act, Potts needed an overseas performance on his CV.

‘Yeah, that’s a massive thing,’ he said. ‘As a fast bowler, you’re trying to be useful everywhere you go, and be a mainstay of the attack in all conditions. Hopefully, that’s one step towards that.’

There were also five probing overs before tea from Stokes, whose concession of 20 runs included three thick edges for four. England showed the value of seamers on an up-and-down surface, and Pakistan have selected only one.

For most of the first day, though, England were thwarted by the broad bat of Ghulam, who at the age of 29 and boasting a first-class average of 49 has bided his time in Pakistan’s domestic system.

Brydon Carse was again the pick of the quicks for England conceding just 14 from 11 high class overs

Ghulam played for Hoylandswaine near Barnsley during the summer, so Yorkshire may well claim their fourth century of the series, following the efforts of Root, Harry Brook and club captain Masood in the first Test.

No matter: the county bragging-rights at the end of a tough day belonged squarely to Durham and Somerset.