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• McCullum: England not missing Anderson's coaching

  Brendon McCullum does not believe England were missing James Anderson's coaching during a difficult start to the first Test against Pakistan.

  Gus Atkinson got England an early wicket, but they soon struggled as Shan Masood, whose 43-ball half-century is the second-fastest by a Pakistan skipper in Tests, and Abdullah Shafique both struck centuries.

  However, they made a strong finish to the first day, taking three wickets in the final session, with Pakistan reaching stumps on 328-4.

  Anderson, who has been acting as England's fast-bowling consultant since his retirement, was not in Multan on Monday but is set to join up with the team on day two.

  After a tough day in the field, McCullum insisted Anderson was still on hand to coach the players despite not being present, and believes this shows the impact he has already had on the side.

  "Two months ago, you guys were saying that he didn't deserve to be a coach just yet," McCullum told Sky Sports.

  "Now, it's like, 'We're missing him' - and I think that's a great affirmation of how good an impact Jimmy Anderson has made in a short period of time.

  "He's got [WhatsApp] groups set up with the bowlers and is always feeding information through Jeetan Patel. We live in a world where you can still communicate without being face-to-face… I don't have any qualms whatsoever.

  "I'm absolutely delighted for him that he gets the opportunity to do something he loves doing and when he gets here, he'll be right in the thick of it as he has done as bowling coach since he came in."

  Masood and Shafique added a 253-run partnership for the second wicket but fell softly to Atkinson and Jack Leach before Chris Woakes had Babar Azam lbw as England gave themselves some hope in the closing stages.

  Assistant coach Jeetan Patel, who was working with the fast bowlers in Anderson's absence, was particularly proud of how they kept pushing despite the heat.

  "I couldn't commend them any more," Patel said. "I think the toil they put in today was high-end: the way they tried different things to take wickets, the different fields they had, the way they fielded.

  "To take those three wickets tonight was a testament to the work they'd done in the first two sessions. We're pretty happy with how it's ended up, with them four down."

• Late wickets give England hope after difficult start to Pakistan Test

  Three wickets in the final session kept England within reach on day one of the first Test against Pakistan, for whom Abdullah Shafique and Shan Masood struck centuries in an impressive start.

  The hosts reached stumps at 328/4 in Multan, but things could have been worse for England on a day that started with both teams keen to bat on a pristine surface. 

  Masood won the toss and elected to bat, and it was his excellent knock of 155 off 177 deliveries – his first Test ton in four years – that helped to put them in a commanding position at 261/1 soon after tea.

  England actually made a fast start as Gus Atkinson – playing in his first overseas Test – had Saim Ayub (4) caught behind by Jamie Smith, but if the tourists thought they had an early breakthrough, those thoughts were soon dispelled. 

  Shafique put a poor run of form behind him with his watchful century, hitting 102 runs off 188 deliveries as Pakistan batted out the best part of two sessions without further loss.

  He then fell victim to Atkinson in the 60th over of the day, playing a tired shot straight to England's stand-in captain Ollie Pope at cover, and within three more overs, Jack Leach had the wicket the tourists desperately craved.

  Fatigue also looked to play a part as Masood tamely chipped Leach's delivery straight back to the bowler, bringing an end to his magnificent innings.

  It was then time for Chris Woakes, who – like the rest of England's attack – had bowled expensively early on, to get in on the act.

  He pinned Babar Azam lbw for 30, with a Pakistan review in vain as England gave themselves a chance to attack the middle order on Tuesday, the hosts only adding four more runs before stumps.

  Data Debrief: Pakistan's progress slows

  Pakistan knew they needed early runs to put Brendon McCullum's high-scoring tourists on the back foot, and early runs are exactly what they got.

  Captain Masood led from the front, with his 43-ball half-century being the second-fastest by a Pakistan skipper in Tests, as he bids to halt the team's five-match losing run with him at the helm.

  But things became steadier for Masood and his team-mates as the day went on. Pakistan's run rate stood at 4.88 by lunch, 4.48 by tea and 3.81 by stumps. England will hope they have weathered the storm and can go on the attack on day two.

• England 'realistic' about chances in Pakistan, says McCullum

  Brendon McCullum says England are going into their three-match Test series against Pakistan with "realistic" expectations, and anticipates a tough test from their hosts.

  England became the first side to achieve a 3-0 clean sweep in Pakistan during their last tour in 2022.

  And Pakistan have had no success on home soil in the last two years, with a 1-0 defeat by Australia in early 2022 setting off a 10-match winless run, with Bangladesh the latest to triumph against them.

  England are without captain Ben Stokes though, as he was ruled out of the first Test after failing to recover from a hamstring tear in time.

  Despite recent history suggesting England may just have an edge, McCullum is taking nothing for granted.

  "We go in with high hopes," McCullum told BBC Sport. "There will be no excuses whatsoever if we don't get where we need to get.

  "We're also realistic this is going to be a tough series, because Pakistan in their own conditions, as history would suggest, it's a tough ask."

  McCullum also brushed off concerns he was worried about not having James Anderson, who has been acting as their fast-bowling consultant since his retirement, with them for the first day.

  "Jimmy has been a great resource for us, but prior to that, we didn't have a pace-bowling coach as such," he added.

  "In the world we live in, communication is easy. Jimmy is in constant communication with the guys. I don't think it's a big issue."

  For Pakistan, Shan Masood has lost all five Tests since being appointed captain last November, including the 2-0 defeat to Bangladesh in August.

  "There is a lot of hurt within the players," Masood said. "This year, 2024, has not been a good year for Pakistan cricket all over, and we like to see our fans happy.

  "The answer is to be positive. We let the past go. We have tried to maintain consistency in selection. We haven't had any chopping and changing because we have lost a few games.

  "We believe in this set of players and with Jason Gillespie we wanted to create a squad mentality. The players are being backed to turn things around."

  The first Test between England and Pakistan begins on Monday in Multan.