Saud Shakeel struck an unbeaten century to lead Pakistan to a seven-wicket win over a Professional County Clubs Select XI in their final warm-up fixture before the first Test against England at Headingley, a confidence-building finish that also handed left-arm spinner Ali Usman a five-wicket haul to remember. Chasing 262 for victory after bowling the county side out for 194 in their second innings, Pakistan reached 263 for three in 57.1 overs, with Shakeel finishing on 100 not out from 147 balls, laced with 10 boundaries and three sixes.
A Platform Built by the Top Order
Pakistan’s chase was not entirely smooth at the start — opener Azan Awais fell for just one — but Shakeel’s arrival at the crease steadied the innings almost immediately. He combined with fellow opener Imam-ul-Haq in a second-wicket stand worth 127 runs, with Imam contributing a fluent 80 off 88 balls that included 13 fours, giving Pakistan control of the chase well before the middle overs. That partnership effectively settled the match, leaving Shakeel to see the innings home alongside the middle order without any late alarms.
Usman’s Day With the Ball
Earlier in the match, it was Ali Usman who did the damage that set up the chase, returning figures of 5 for 42 in 9.1 overs to dismantle the county side’s second innings and leave Pakistan a target well within reach. Usman’s performance came on the back of an earlier stage of the tour match in which seamers Ali and Abbas had shared six wickets between them, giving Pakistan’s bowling attack — both pace and spin — a rare chance to fire in tandem before the more serious business of the Test series begins.
Timing It Right Before Headingley
The three-match Test series against England opens at Headingley on 19 August, a ground with a reputation for pace and bounce that has troubled visiting batting lineups for decades, and Pakistan’s warm-up win offers exactly the kind of top-order runs and bowling rhythm a touring side wants heading into unfamiliar English conditions. Shakeel, who has spoken publicly about expecting extra bounce at Headingley and about backing Pakistan’s spinners to find a role even in home English conditions, used the fixture to get significant batting time under pressure-free circumstances, precisely the kind of preparation a touring No. 3 or 4 batter needs before facing a new-ball attack on a fresh, green surface.
Two Views on What the Warm-Up Proves
Optimists in the Pakistan camp will point to the composed manner of the chase — an unbroken century from Shakeel, a fluent fifty-plus knock from Imam, and a five-wicket haul from a frontline spinner — as evidence the tourists arrive at Headingley with genuine momentum and depth in both departments. More cautious voices will note that county opposition, even a first-class Select XI drawing on multiple counties, rarely replicates the discipline and pace an England Test attack will offer, and that some of Pakistan’s recent tour-match form has not always carried over into the five-day format against a full-strength Test side. The true test of Pakistan’s preparation begins only once the first ball is bowled at Headingley.
The Bigger Picture for Pakistan’s Tour
Pakistan’s build-up has not been without complications, with premier batter Babar Azam’s participation in the opening Test still uncertain because of a hand injury that has clouded the squad’s planning in the days before the series. Against that backdrop, a warm-up win featuring runs from both openers and a five-wicket bowling performance offers the touring management some reassurance that the squad’s depth can compensate if selection headaches persist into the Test series itself.
What to Watch as the Series Opens
With the first Test now just days away, the immediate questions for Pakistan are whether Babar Azam will be fit to feature, and whether Shakeel and Imam can replicate their tour-match partnership against a genuine international pace attack on a Headingley surface known to offer early movement. For England, the warm-up result is a reminder that this Pakistan side, while carrying selection uncertainty at the top, has batting depth and spin options that could make the series considerably more competitive than a straightforward home assignment.