England 239 for 6 (Duckett 114, Root 34, Sajid 4-86) trail Pakistan 366 (Ghulam 118, Ayub 77, Leach 4-114) by 127 runs
Slowly, slowly… and then with the snap of resolve that vindicated every one of their seemingly half-baked plans, Pakistan roared into command in the second Test at Multan, transforming another day of dominant England batting with a trademark surge of wickets, the likes of which had eluded them throughout their dismal run of six Test losses in a row.
By the close, England were on the ropes at 239 for 6, still trailing by a substantial 127 despite battling hard to bowl their opponents out for 366 shortly after lunch. This was in spite of a brilliant fourth Test hundred from Ben Duckett that had, at one stage, been almost contemptuous in its dominance.
After 12 overs, England had been hurtling along to 73 for 0. Midway through the 42nd, they were still bubbling nicely at 211 for 2, even after Sajid Khan‘s ripper through the gate to Ollie Pope had hinted that this re-used surface was just beginning to heat up after seven days of action.
But 18 balls later still, their castle had crumbled to the tune of four wickets for 14 runs, with Sajid’s extraction of Joe Root – currently riding at a career-best high in the ICC rankings – being the moment that belief surged back into Pakistan’s cricket. If there was an element of good fortune in the ricocheting sweep shot that cannoned into Root’s off stump for 34, what followed might as well have been transcribed directly from the fever dream that had doubled as Pakistan’s pre-Test selection meeting.
Runs on the board: check. Seam irrelevant: check. Spinners finding turn from the straight with men parked round the bat: check.
With the first ball of his next over, Sajid found another ripper that fizzed off Duckett’s outside edge to nestle in Salman Agha’s midriff at slip. Before the over was finished, he had the dangerous Harry Brook too, who had thumped the legspinner Zahid Mahmood for two ominously emphatic fours in his brief stay but had no answer to a fizzing offbreak that ripped into his stumps from a full length.
Then, with Zahid put out to pasture once more, back came Sajid’s fellow fingerspinner, Noman Ali, whose second ball bit into Ben Stokes’ inside edge and ballooned to short leg, to extract the England captain for 1 from five balls in his first competitive innings since August. Jamie Smith and Brydon Carse endured to the close, but with the surface only heading in one direction now, parity is surely a pre-requisite if this match is not to slide further out of England’s control.
It was a stunning turnaround to cap an engrossing day of Test cricket, but even by Pakistan’s chaotic standards, the manner of their revival took the biscuit. Right up until the moment that everything clicked into place, their challenge had been falling apart.
Their troubles had seemingly begun before a ball was bowled, with Aamer Jamal – their lone seamer – sustaining a hip niggle during his doughty innings of 37 in the morning session. He contributed just six expensive overs across three spells, and with Shan Masood showing little faith in his legspinner, Zahid, Duckett toyed with the fingerspinners, utilising his vast array of sweep options to drag their leg-side fielders in every conceivable direction.
He duly reached a brilliant century (with a sweep, of course) from a brisk 120 balls, but it was still, remarkably, the slowest of his four to date in Test cricket. In the process, he became the fastest man to reach 2000 Test runs, from 2293 balls – a niche stat maybe, but one which reflected the extent to which he has not only bought into but personified, England’s Bazball mantra since his recall for their last tour of Pakistan in December 2022.
Throughout his innings, however, there had been just the glimmer of the contest that could yet exist beneath the veneer of Duckett’s aggression. Zak Crawley‘s innings was a case in point. With his preference for pace on the ball, he was far less assured against the spinners, and had two huge let-offs before finally snicking off to a loose drive outside off for 27, a decision Noman successfully reviewed.
Crawley should have been run out on 20 after being sent back on a quick single to backward square but Sajid broke the stumps before the ball had arrived, and five runs later, he was ready to walk after being struck on the pads while sweeping, again off Sajid. But Duckett persuaded him to review with the ball shown to be missing leg.
Duckett himself had a massive moment on 83 when Noman, by now bowling round the wicket to close off that full range of sweeps, beat his leg stump by a slenderest coat of varnish as Duckett instead wound into a reverse. He was twice clanged on the visor too as the ball bit and bounced out of the rough, and though he was disappointed to form part of the late collapse, the wonder in hindsight was how easy he had made it seem while the going was good.
The chaos of the closing overs was all a far cry from the more leisurely pace of the morning, in which Pakistan had resumed on a promising 259 for 5, on a surface that – while offering some turn and reverse swing – still had more in common with the road that had dished up 1599 runs in last week’s first Test.
In cooler, hazier conditions, the pitch seemed to have acquired an extra yard of pace for the day’s opening exchanges, which Carse utilised to superb effect. Mohammad Rizwan had added just four to his overnight 37 when he was beaten by extra lift, angled into his splice, and Smith behind the stumps reacted superbly to cling onto a fast-travelling chance.
It was due reward for an exemplary display from Carse, whose key wicket of Saud Shakeel on the first evening had also required him to extract some unlikely life from the surface. Agha then found some impetus with four fours through deep third, but Stokes, to his credit, refused to plug the gap in conventional style, instead choosing to add a gully to ramp up the risk-reward element to the stroke. Potts duly extracted some extra bounce, and Smith – for the third time in the innings – made a very sharp chance look simple.
When Sajid punched a drive on the up to short cover, Pakistan were in danger of another damaging subsidence at 309 for 8, but Jamal and Noman’s key stand of 49 for the ninth wicket helped pump the innings past 350. England were nevertheless deeply satisfied with their day-and-a-bit’s work when Leach wrapped things up with his fourth of the innings. But, as had been ordained when Masood won the toss, runs on the board will be critical in this contest. Right now, notwithstanding Duckett’s brilliant response, England don’t have enough of them.
Andrew Miller is UK editor of ESPNcricinfo. @miller_cricket
