CHRIS WOAKES believes England’s fearless first Test victory in Multan today has given Pakistan a pitch problem, claiming “the ball is firmly in their court.”

The hosts had talked up the possibility of delivering an unusually seamer-friendly surface for the series opener, in the hope of playing to the strengths of pace pair Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah, but instead turned out one of the flattest surfaces imaginable.

For the first three days it looked as though there would be no chance of avoiding a drab draw, as bat dominated ball, but England found a way through with a triple century from Harry Brook and a double from Joe Root giving them enough headroom to push for the win.