First Test, Multan (day 2 of five)
Pakistan 556: Masood 151, Salman 104* Shafique 102; Leach 3-160
England 96-1: Crawley 64*, Root 32*
England are 460 runs behind
England overcame important setbacks to scope 96-1 successful reply to Pakistan’s monolithic 556 connected time 2 of the archetypal Test successful Multan.
Ben Duckett wounded his near thumb taking the drawback that ended the Pakistan innings, meaning Ollie Pope opened the batting successful his place.
Pope pulled his 2nd shot to mid-wicket, wherever Aamer Jamal took a stunning one-handed catch.
To their credit, Zak Crawley and Joe Root were assured successful defying the lively hosts. Crawley is connected 64 and Root 32, England inactive 460 behind.
All this astatine the extremity of different sapping time successful the heat, arsenic England’s stint successful the tract stretched to six sessions and Salman Ali Agha became the 3rd location batter to registry a century.
Salman survived connected 15 erstwhile Chris Woakes’ spectacular bound drawback was ruled not out. TV umpire Chris Gaffaney adjudged that Woakes had a ft grounded beyond the enactment successful his effort to propulsion up the shot and drawback it again.
That would person been 420-7, England again showing quality connected the existent pitch, astatine 1 signifier taking 4 wickets for 76 runs contempt Saud Shakeel making 82 and nightwatchman Naseem Shah 33.
But Salman took the crippled distant from England, dishing retired immoderate punishment to the weary visiting bowlers.
England tin astatine slightest instrumentality immoderate bosom from Ben Stokes bowling connected the outfield during the beverage interruption arsenic portion of the captain’s bid to retrieve from a hamstring wounded successful clip for the 2nd Test.
Bar the immense situation of batting nether sizeable scoreboard unit astatine the extremity of the day, this was rinse and repetition for England, deja vu from their back-breaking slog connected Monday.
How antithetic mightiness it person been had Woakes’ drawback been allowed to stand? With Jack Leach the bowler, it was a hugely awesome effort for long-on fielder Woakes to back-peddle and effort the benignant of drawback that has go communal successful white-ball cricket.
Knowing his momentum would transportation him implicit the rope, Woakes relayed the shot to himself. Salman started to locomotion disconnected earlier Gaffaney made the check.
No close-up of Woakes’ close ft was available, the grainy footage was inconclusive and the payment of the uncertainty went to the batter. Woakes was visibly frustrated and Salman crushed England further into the dirt.
A statistical quirk is connected England’s side. The 2 erstwhile times they person conceded much than 500 since Brendon McCullum became coach, they person won, including the archetypal Test successful this state 2 years ago.
In these conditions, against a stronger Pakistan side, it would beryllium singular to support that tally alive.