Multan, 16 October 2024: Pakistan ended Day 2 of the second Test in Multan in a commanding position, as spinner Sajid Khan four-wicket haul, including three late scalps, left England reeling at 239-6 in 53 overs. England now trails by 127 runs after Pakistan posted a first-innings total of 366.
England’s chase was initially anchored by Ben Duckett, who played a brilliant knock, scoring his fourth Test century. Duckett made 114 runs off 129 balls, hitting 16 boundaries. He was part of a solid 73-run opening partnership with Zak Crawley, who contributed 27. The pair gave England a positive start, but Crawley was dismissed in the 13th over when Noman Ali had him caught behind.
Ollie Pope then joined Duckett at the crease, and the duo added 52 runs for the second wicket. However, Pope was Sajid Khan’s first victim, bowled by a sharp-turning delivery for 29. This triggered a mini-collapse for England, who lost four wickets for just 14 runs in the final hour of play.
Duckett and Joe Root (34 off 54 balls) built a crucial 86-run partnership for the third wicket. Duckett completed his century off 120 balls, but just as England looked comfortable, Sajid returned for his third spell and turned the game on its head. He bowled Root, who dragged a delivery onto his stumps, and in the very next over, he had Duckett caught at slip by Salman Ali Agha. Harry Brook, who made 9, followed soon after, bowled by Sajid as well.
Noman Ali added to England’s woes by dismissing Ben Stokes for a duck, with Abdullah Shafique taking a sharp catch at short leg. England ended the day with Jamie Smith (12*) and Brydon Carse (2*) carefully negotiating the final overs.
Earlier in the day, Pakistan added 107 runs to their overnight score of 259-5 before being bowled out for 366. Mohammad Rizwan fell early for 41, but valuable contributions from Aamir Jamal (37), Noman Ali (32), and Salman Ali Agha (31) helped Pakistan surpass the 350-run mark. England’s Jack Leach was the pick of the bowlers, claiming 4-114, while Brydon Carse took 3-50.
With England still trailing and six wickets down, Pakistan will look to press home their advantage on Day 3.
Scores in brief:
Pakistan: 366 all out (Kamran Ghulam 118, Saim Ayub 77, Mohammad Rizwan 41, Aamir Jamal 37; Jack Leach 4-114, Brydon Carse 3-50)
England: 239-6 in 53 overs (Ben Duckett 114, Joe Root 34; Sajid Khan 4-86, Noman Ali 2-75)