 "Babar Azam")
Babar Azam reached a half-century just before rain brought an early tea on the first day of England's opening Test against Pakistan with the tourists 121-2 on Wednesday.
After being invited to bowl first by visiting captain Azhar Ali, the hosts will have been happy with a lunch score of 53-2 Jofra Archer and Chris Woakes with a wicket apiece.
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Woakes welcomed star batsman Babar to the crease with a wonderful delivery that might easily have clipped either the outside edge or the off stump but the 25-year-old dominated proceedings in the afternoon session.
He hit nine boundaries as he reached 52 not out in just 71 balls, almost every one of them imperious, as he set about proving all of the praise he has garnered in recent months is well placed.
The players were forced off the field by a shower just before 3pm and would have welcomed the chance to regroup after Babar's onslaught.
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As well as stalling England's progress his efforts also placed Shan Masood in the shade, the opener having ground out a valuable 45 not out across more than three hours.
England began by confirming an unchanged XI, Ben Stokes again selected as a specialist batsman as uncertainty over his nagging quad injury continued.
Pakistan began their innings under moody skies and with the floodlights on, but openers Masood and Abid Ali showed sufficient composure to negotiate the first hour for 32 without loss.
Both men were beaten on the outside edge on a couple of occasions but stuck admirably to the task of seeing off the challenge of James Anderson and Stuart Broad.
In the end it was the first-change bowlers, retained here ahead of Sam Curran and Mark Wood, who got England back into the conversation.
Archer, who created more headlines off the field than on it against the Windies, needed just seven deliveries to make his presence felt.
Check ICC Test Championship latest news and points table hereAfter pushing the batsmen back in his first over, he started the second with a fuller ball at Abid, jagging it in off the pitch and pegging back off stump.
He made his way back for 16, an exit made all the more frustrating by a brief rain shower which forced the sides off after only three more deliveries.
It was only a brief recess but within 10 minutes of the restart Woakes sent captain Azhar Ali for a more permanent trip to the pavilion.
Looking to get off the mark with a flick to leg he was undone by Woakes' unflinching control of line and length, thumped on the front pad and on his way after an unwise referral.
That brought Babar to the crease amid great anticipation and, after a slow start, he resumed after lunch in better touch Jos Buttler shelled the chance to deny England a breakthrough before the rain, but Babar reached his fifty just in time with another four off Archer.
