Abrar Ahmed enjoyed a dream debut for Pakistan as he took seven wickets against an England side that remained ultra-positive with the bat, scoring 281 at 5.43 runs an over.
After such a stunning win in Rawalpindi, England continued in the same vain on a Multan pitch offering more assistance to the bowlers, in particular the debutant. Abrar claimed a remarkable five-wicket haul on his first morning as a Test cricketer, leaving England 180-5 at lunch on day one, ending up with figures of 7-114.
The 24-year-old took a wicket in his very first over, bowling Zak Crawley for 19 with a brilliant googly. However, Ben Duckett and Ollie Pope proceeded to share an outstanding partnership worth 79, with both batters utilising the sweep shot expertly against Pakistan's spinners as they scored impressive half-centuries.
Duckett reached the landmark off just 40 balls, while Pope took 52 but once Abrar removed Duckett lbw on review for 63 England suddenly lost four wickets before lunch in just 12 overs with the debutant taking a historic five-for before lunch.
After the break, Abrar took two more wickets, outfoxing Ben Stokes for 30 with another brilliant googly and pinning Will Jacks lbw for 31. However, Zahid Mahmood took the final three England wickets, preventing Abrar from having the opportunity to become only the fourth player to take all 10 wickets in a Test innings.
Despite Abrar's brilliance, England's commitment to positive cricket meant they scored 281 inside 52 overs. Although Duckett and Pope were the only two to pass fifty, Stokes and Jacks both struck attacking 30s and Mark Wood finished not out on 36 off 27 having crashed eight boundaries.
In response Imam-ul-Haq lasted just two balls on his home ground, getting caught behind for a duck off James Anderson, before Jack Leach got fellow opener Abdullah Shafique caught behind for 14.
However, Pakistan skipper Babar Azam then took centre stage, scoring a magnificent unbeaten 61 and sharing an important partnership worth 56 runs with Saud Shakeel as they reached the close of play on 107-2, 174 behind England.
Here are five talking points...
Duckett impresses again
After particularly struggling against India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin during his first stint as a Test cricketer back in 2016, Duckett has greatly improved his game and showcased an impressive array of sweep shots against Pakistan in the seven-match T20I series in October.
He was outstanding against Pakistan's spinners, ending the series as England's second-highest run scorer and he has continued his success in the ongoing Test series. Having been one of four England centurions in the first Test, Duckett followed it up by top scoring with 63 in the second.
He reached his half-century off just 40 balls and his use of sweeps and reverse sweeps was highly effective, with the majority of his runs coming square of the wicket. "It's an amazing innings," former England spinner Vic Marks said on BBC Test Match Special. "Duckett got a lot of runs from the sweep shot. He's such an exciting player to watch."
Abrar's dream debut
It was a remarkable Test debut for the 24-year-old leg-spinner, who took five wickets in the first session on his way to 7-114, the 12th-best figures of any bowler in their first Test innings. Abrar is also the first bowler to take his side's first five wickets on Test debut since England seamer John Lever more than 46 years ago in 1976.
He completely bamboozled opener Crawley, England's best player off spin Joe Root and skipper Stokes - who was left in disbelief after being outfoxed by Abrar's googly. And Stuart Broad, missing this series after his fiancee Mollie King gave birth to their daughter, questioned why he was not picked for the first Test.
"I can't believe he didn't play," Broad told Sky Sports. "Test cricket is so exciting when you get express pace and mystery spin and those two things. Fortunately, in these two games we have got Mark Wood and mystery spin, but it just bemuses me why you wouldn't have played him last week."
England break more records
Despite Abrar's magnificent five wicket haul before lunch, England were ultra-positive with the bat as Duckett and Pope led the way. England reached 180-5 at lunch, making yet more history as they scored the most runs before lunch on the first day of a Test match breaking a 120-year record by just one run.
Back in 1902, South Africa scored 179-1 in the first session against Australia in Johannesburg off 41 overs. Remarkably, England broke that record despite facing eight fewer overs before lunch.
Incidentally, the 174-0 they racked up off just 27 overs in the first Test in Rawalpindi sits third on the list. "We were really happy at lunch with the rate we scored," Duckett told Sky Sports. "A lot of teams might have been quite tentative and you could easily have been 100-6 at lunch."
Wood's return
The addition of Wood's express pace is a welcome one for captain Stokes and the 32-year-old may prove a crucial point of difference for England as this Test goes on.
Having recovered from the hip injury which ruled him out of the T20 World Cup final and the first Test, Wood bowled four overs and was clocked at 97mph at one point. However, while he was picked for his bowling, Wood also played an important cameo with the bat as he struck an unbeaten 36 off 27 balls.
He was England's third-highest scorer behind Duckett and Pope and their quickest, striking at 133.33. Wood pushed England well past 250 and his lower order runs could prove crucial as the game goes on.
Babar shows his class
The Pakistan skipper was typically impressive in response, having moved up the order to number three after veteran Azhar Ali was dropped. After openers Imam and Shafique, who both scored hundreds in the previous Test, were dismissed cheaply Babar stepped up.
He ended the day unbeaten on 61 off 76 balls, ensuring Pakistan scored at a healthy rate of 3.82. Babar is one of the best batters in the world right now, but does not have a great record at number three.
In his previous 17 innings, Babar has averaged just 28.93 and failed to score a hundred, but has a golden opportunity to rectify that on day two and show he is ready to step up to number three when Azhar's Test career comes to an end.
