Salman Agha played a crucial part in Pakistan’s charge on Day 2 of the first Test against England in Multan scoring 104* off 119 balls to take team past the 560-mark. However, he was also involved in a controversial decision during one of his sixes off Jack Leach. Salman went after leach right after Lunch, as Woakes, stationed at long-off, dived back to catch the ball on the ropes, before throwing it in air as a went outside the boundary line. Right after that he jumped back to complete the catch. 

But third umpire Chris Gaffaney controversially ruled that Woakes’ right foot was grounded when he made contact with the ball. That decision has divided world cricket.

An eventful six!

Chris Woakes tries hard but Salman Ali Agha is deemed safe #PAKvENG | #TestAtHome pic.twitter.com/5hqtmSdi6B

— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) October 8, 2024

Chris Woakes nearly pulled off an absolute stunner to dismiss Agha Salman! His right foot was almost in between frames—talk about margins! It was ruled a six, but what a brilliant attempt at what could have been an incredible catch!#PAKvENG #TestCricket #Multan #CricketTwitter… pic.twitter.com/LsTBDdm34f

— lightningspeed (@lightningspeedk) October 8, 2024

Salman Ali Agha was almost dismissed by Jack Leach with a super effort by Chris Woakes at the boundary – but his foot was grounded outside the rope when he took the catch.#PAKvENG | #PakistanCricket pic.twitter.com/b12Oi9mBaE

— Grassroots Cricket (@grassrootscric) October 8, 2024

Earlier, Salman Agha knocked a fiery half-century to foil England’s fightback on Tuesday, as Pakistan reached 515-8 at tea on day two of the opening Test in Multan. The 30-year-old was unbeaten on 79 alongside Shaheen Shah Afridi, 13, after England took two wickets in each of the two sessions on a batting-friendly pitch.

Agha survived a catch off spinner Jack Leach, when Chris Woakes lobbed the ball from behind the boundary line and caught it inside the ground. However the third umpire ruled the fielder’s foot touched the ground beyond the rope and gave a six.

Agha has cracked 10 fours and two sixes in his eighth Test fifty and went past 1,000 runs in his 15th Test. Agha added an invaluable 57 runs for the seventh wicket with Saud Shakeel, who was caught smartly by Joe Root at slip off Shoaib Bashir for 82. Shakeel hit eight fours.

Pace bowler Brydon Carse has figures of 2-74 on his debut after trapping Aamer Jamal for seven, adding to his first Test wicket of Naseem Shah who was caught at leg slip by Harry Brook before lunch for 33.

Resuming at 328-4, Shakeel and Shah put on a sedate stand of 64 as England’s bowlers kept it tight with just 69 coming in the first session.

Fast bowler Gus Atkinson has figures of 2-99, spinner Jack Leach has 2-136, including the wicket of Mohammed Rizwan before lunch, while Woakes and Bashir have taken a wicket apiece.