England's opener Ben Duckett scripted history on Day 2 of the second Test against Pakistan at the Multan Cricket Stadium on October 16. Duckett yet again rose to the occasion and stood up for England when the chips were down and cracked a scintillating century to steady his side's boat. In response to Pakistan's competitive first-innings total of 366, Duckett provided England with a quick start, putting pressure on the opposition bowlers.
The 29-year-old clocked his fourth Test century in just 120 balls, showcasing his class and determination. Duckett finished with a score of 114 from 129 deliveries before being dismissed by Sajid Khan. Following Duckett's dismissal, England's batting unit suffered a collapse, losing three wickets for just one run. The visitors ended the day at 239-6, still trailing Pakistan by 127 runs.
Ben Duckett becomes fastest to notch 2000 runs in Tests
Duckett etched his name in history books during his innings, reaching the milestone of 2000 runs in his Test career. Remarkably, he became the fastest player in Test cricket history to achieve this milestone in terms of balls faced.
| Batters | Balls taken to notch 2000 Test runs |
| Ben Duckett (ENG) | 2293 |
| Tim Southee (NZ) | 2418 |
| Adam Gilchrist (AUS) | 2483 |
| Virender Sehwag (IND) | 2759 |
| Rishabh Pant (IND) | 2797 |
Ben Duckett's rescue act on Day 2
England's star opener Ben Duckett played a massive knock as he scored a fierce century when the stakes were down for the team. Duckett reached his century in 120 deliveries, which was his fourth Test century and his first in 18 innings.
However, Pakistan's off-spinner Sajid Khan stole the show as he took three major wickets in the final session, which left the second Test carefully balanced at the end of Day 2. In reply to the first innings total of 366 by Pakistan, England reached 211/2 as Duckett and Joe Root went solid. However, Sajid Khan (4/86) led to a collapse which resulted in England struggling at 239/6 by the end of the day. Jamie Smith (12) and Brydon Carse (2) stayed unbeaten as England is still trailing by 127 runs.
Duckett marked his England debut in the longest format in 2016 against Bangladesh but couldn't become team's constant member until Ben Stokes took over as captain in 2022. Duckett has featured in 28 Test matches as yet and has amassed 2026 runs riding on four centuries at a robust average of 42.20. Notably, among players with over 2000 Test runs, Duckett boasts the highest strike rate (87.13).
