England on brink after poor start to Multan chase

Second Test, Multan (day 3 of five)

Pakistan 366: Ghulam 118 & 221: Salman 63, Bashir 4-66

England 291: Duckett 114; Sajid 7-111 & 36-2

England request 261 runs to win

Scorecard

England are staring astatine decision pursuing a unspeakable commencement to their tally pursuit connected the 3rd evening of the 2nd Test against Pakistan.

Set a record-breaking 297 to win, England mislaid openers Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley to extremity connected 36-2, leaving Pakistan connected people to level the bid 1-1.

The damaging losses came successful the 11 overs England had to bat astatine the extremity of a demoralising time successful Multan.

The tourists’ hopes of getting backmost into the lucifer aft giving up a first-innings pb of 75 evaporated done immoderate costly dropped catches by Jamie Smith and Joe Root.

Wicketkeeper Smith and first-slip Root reprieved Salman Agha connected 4 and six respectively, with the right-hander going connected to marque a priceless 63.

Salman tortured England successful a ninth-wicket concern of 65 with Sajid Khan, the off-spinner who had earlier finished with 7-111 to disregard the visitors for 291 successful their archetypal innings.

Pakistan were yet bowled retired for 221, giving England what would beryllium their joint-third-highest pursuit successful an distant Test and champion by immoderate visiting squad successful Pakistan.

And Sajid was again successful the enactment with the caller ball, enticing Duckett into a apical borderline earlier Crawley was stumped disconnected Noman Ali.

England’s triumph connected this crushed successful the archetypal Test was historical due to the fact that of the standard of their run-scoring. This week the numbers are smaller, but the magnitude of a triumph would beryllium overmuch greater fixed the conditions and value of history.

Never earlier person they made truthful galore runs to triumph a Test successful Asia. This would dwarf the 208 they overhauled against the aforesaid absorption successful Lahore successful 1961.

This iteration of the England squad has a wont of unthinkable chases, but occurrence connected a utilized Multan particulate vessel with the shot regularly shooting on the crushed would fertile arsenic 1 of the large overseas wins.

Their task is made each the harder by the nonaccomplishment of Duckett, 1 of England’s champion players of rotation and centurion successful the archetypal innings. The left-hander tried to expanse Sajid’s 3rd shot of the innings and skied to wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan.

Crawley is not a comfy starter against rotation and was stranded by 1 left-armer Noman got to dip.

In fading light, precocious hostility and Pakistani excitement, Root and Ollie Pope someway fought into the 4th day.

England are not wholly retired of this Test, yet would beryllium successful a acold amended presumption had they taken their chances.

The highly awesome Brydon Carse was the unfortunate of 3 misses. Saud Shakeel had lone 2 erstwhile helium flashed past Root astatine archetypal slip. Root, trying to mitigate debased bounce, was lasting truthful adjacent helium was wearing a helmet. It was incredibly tough, but the benignant England had to take.

Carse had Rizwan borderline to Ben Stokes to support the doorway ajar, earlier a important over. Smith’s driblet disconnected Salman was an aberration, arsenic atrocious arsenic it gets for a Test keeper. Root has the excuse of being close, though it was inactive a regularisation gaffe drawback to his right. If either had been taken, Pakistan’s pb would person been nether 200 with six wickets down. England and skipper Stokes were noticeably and unusually deflated.

England flickered erstwhile Leach and Shoaib Bashir combined to instrumentality 3 wickets for 11 runs aft tea, including Shakeel for 31. Running retired of partners, Salman had 25 from 57 balls and jolted into life.

He took 30 disconnected the adjacent 19 balls helium faced, including a consecutive six disconnected Jack Leach to walk 50. With the enactment of Sajid, who overturned being fixed lbw to a Matthew Potts afloat toss, the ninth-wicket brace scored astatine astir six an over.

It was starting to go questionable if England would bat earlier the adjacent until the tireless Carse induced a miscued propulsion disconnected Salman. By past the harm had been done.

England were deed by Sajid’s 3 wickets successful 10 deliveries connected the 2nd evening. Starting time 3 connected 239-6, 127 behind, their champion accidental of getting backmost into the crippled rested connected getting determination adjacent Pakistan’s first-innings 366.

With the transportation turning much and more, Sajid continued his teardrop done England. Carse was uncomfortable earlier helium holed retired to long-on and Potts someway bowled done his legs. England would person looked to Smith to counter-attack, lone for a miscue disconnected Noman to extremity astatine long-off.

Leach and Bashir were astatine slightest capable to adhd 29 for the past wicket, Leach unbeaten connected 25 erstwhile Bashir swiped to mid-wicket to springiness Sajid the champion figures ever connected this crushed and the third-best by a Pakistan bowler against England.

Overall, England’s illness crossed 2 sessions was 8 wickets for 80 runs, portion each 10 wickets fell to spin.

The tourists needed a effect and got it from Bashir. His archetypal wicket, Abdullah Shafique’s tickle down the limb broadside detected connected review, was a strangle and his adjacent 2 were classical off-spin.

Left-handers Shan Masood and Saim Ayub were drawn successful edges to gully, leaving Pakistan 43-3 and England with a sniff. It faded with the drops.