Pakistan v Kent: Imam-ul-Haq hits 61 but tourists struggle in opening game

Imam-ul-Haq (right), who made 61, and tail-ender Hasan Ali (24) were the only Pakistan players to pass 20

Pakistan struggled with the bat on the opening day of their tour of England as they were bowled out for 168 inside 56 overs by Kent at Canterbury.

Captain Sarfraz Ahmed won the toss but most of his top order failed to cope with the overcast conditions as bad light threatened for most of the day.

Only Imam-ul-Haq – nephew of chief selector and former captain Inzamam-ul-Haq – impressed, scoring 61 as Kent medium-pacer Will Gidman took 5-47.

Kent were 39-1 when rain ended play.

After this four-day encounter, Pakistan have another warm-up game against Northamptonshire (4-7 May) before heading to Dublin for Ireland’s inaugural men’s Test (11-15 May). They then return to England for Tests at Lord’s (24-28 May) and Headingley (1-5 June).

Bespectacled left-hander Imam, 22, is uncapped at Test level but hit a century on his one-day international debut last October.

In Canterbury, he belied his tender years and outshone his more experienced team-mates, hitting nine fours in his 111-ball innings before being trapped lbw by Gidman to leave his side 129-6.

Tail-ender Hasan Ali – who struck two fours and two sixes in a breezy 24 from 11 balls – helped make the tourists’ score a little more respectable, while Gidman enjoyed only the 10th five-wicket haul of a first-class career that began in 2007.

Hasan then made an early breakthrough, having Daniel Bell-Drummond lbw in the second over, before rain curtailed Kent’s reply after 15 overs.

“He looks a good player,” Gidman said of Imam. “He shapes up nicely, his balance was great at the crease. He seems to have the right sort of temperament for English cricket.”