Captain Shan Masood smashed a quickfire century as Pakistan took control of the opening day of the first Test against England in Multan on Monday.
On a flat deck and in scorching heat, Pakistan's batsmen made England bowlers toil as they reached 328-4 by stumps, with Masood (151) and opening batsman Abdullah Shafique (102) scoring a bulk of the runs.
Captain Masood's innings was particularly inspiring as he scored his runs off just 177 balls and with the help of 13 fours and two sixes.
It was Masood's first hundred for four years, while Shafique also returned to form with a century as the pair put on a solid 253-run stand for the second wicket after Pakistan won the toss and batted.
Masood took a single off seamer Chris Woakes to race to a 102-ball hundred. Shafique reached his ton in style, hitting spinner Jack Leach for a six.
Masood's century was the second fastest by a Pakistan captain in Tests after Misbah-ul-Haq's 56-ball ton against Australia in 2014.
England briefly fought back when they removed both Masood and Shafique in the space of two runs in the third session.
The visitors then took the second new ball at 308-3 and dismissed Babar Azam, trapped leg-before by fast bowler Woakes for 30. Saud Shakeel was unbeaten on 35 at the close of play, with nightwatchman Naseem Shah yet to score.
England's attack toiled hard in the Multan heat, with fast bowler Gus Atkinson the most successful with 2-70. Woakes and spinner Leach both took a wicket each.
Masood had been under pressure to make runs, with his last hundred coming against the same opponents at Manchester in 2020 – 14 Tests and 27 innings ago.
“The way Shan and I made the partnership, it was crucial for us," Shafique said after the day's play. "Red-ball cricket is not an easy game. The main thing I was focusing on was the process. If I do good things in the process then I’m able to do well in the match.”
England assistant coach Jeetan Patel was satisfied with the hard work put in by the bowlers.
"The toil the bowlers put in today was great," said the former New Zealand spinner. "They tried different things to take wickets, with different fields.
"We are pretty happy with what we have ended up with. We would have liked them six down or all out but it's a subcontinental pitch."
Both teams have gone in with a different combination in the bowling attack. England picked two frontline spinners in Leach and Shoaib Bashir, while the home team have selected only one recognised spinner in Abrar Ahmed, with a few part-time slow bowlers in the line-up.
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Three-day coronation
Royal purification
The entire coronation ceremony extends over three days from May 4-6, but Saturday is the one to watch. At the time of 10:09am the royal purification ceremony begins. Wearing a white robe, the king will enter a pavilion at the Grand Palace, where he will be doused in sacred water from five rivers and four ponds in Thailand. In the distant past water was collected from specific rivers in India, reflecting the influential blend of Hindu and Buddhist cosmology on the coronation. Hindu Brahmins and the country's most senior Buddhist monks will be present. Coronation practices can be traced back thousands of years to ancient India.
The crown
Not long after royal purification rites, the king proceeds to the Baisal Daksin Throne Hall where he receives sacred water from eight directions. Symbolically that means he has received legitimacy from all directions of the kingdom. He ascends the Bhadrapitha Throne, where in regal robes he sits under a Nine-Tiered Umbrella of State. Brahmins will hand the monarch the royal regalia, including a wooden sceptre inlaid with gold, a precious stone-encrusted sword believed to have been found in a lake in northern Cambodia, slippers, and a whisk made from yak's hair.
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On Saturday afternoon, the newly-crowned king is set to grant a "grand audience" to members of the royal family, the privy council, the cabinet and senior officials. Two hours later the king will visit the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, the most sacred space in Thailand, which on normal days is thronged with tourists. He then symbolically moves into the Royal Residence.
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The main element of Sunday's ceremonies, streets across Bangkok's historic heart have been blocked off in preparation for this moment. The king will sit on a royal palanquin carried by soldiers dressed in colourful traditional garb. A 21-gun salute will start the procession. Some 200,000 people are expected to line the seven-kilometre route around the city.
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On the last day of the ceremony Rama X will appear on the balcony of Suddhaisavarya Prasad Hall in the Grand Palace at 4:30pm "to receive the good wishes of the people". An hour later, diplomats will be given an audience at the Grand Palace. This is the only time during the ceremony that representatives of foreign governments will greet the king.
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