Centurion Asad Shafiq said Pakistan were delighted with the way things unfolded in the first Test on Wednesday, as they managed to execute their plans to perfection.

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Shafiq got his eighth Test century, making the most of the dropped catch by Ian Bell when on 10 on the opening day.

England had hoped to get some early wickets with the second new ball, which was used for just three overs on day one, but double centurion Shoaib Malik and Shafiq thwarted their plans by piling on the runs.

In fact, England needed two sessions and three balls to separate the two, but by then they had taken the score to 499.

Shafiq was glad to have played a part in the team’s progress.

“We are in a good position now. In the team meeting we had a talk that if a good partnership gets going and if we could touch 500, it would become easy for us. And that’s exactly what happened. We had a good partnership. So far, everything is going well for us,” he said.

The 29-year-old from Karachi was all praise for Malik’s innings and also the way he helped Shafiq come to terms with the pitch.

“He is a senior player and a very good player. I enjoy playing with him,” said Shafiq. “Obviously, this was a fantastic knock and one that was most needed by the team.

“When I went in to bat, Shoaib was already batting well. He was in good flow. So, he helped me in the beginning. I asked him about the wicket and how it was behaving. I followed his advice and it helped me a lot.”

Shafiq said Pakistan were not looking too far ahead and were concentrating on dismissing England quickly.

“It is very early to say that on what we are going to do. First of all, we have to try and bowl them out early in the first innings. Then we will think and decide on what we will do.”