England continues to toil hard in the first Test against Pakistan in Multan, ending Day 2 460 runs behind their hosts at 96/1 in their first innings on October 8. The tourists' task was made even more difficult by an injury to opener Ben Duckett while dismissing Pakistan's final wicket. The extent of his left thumb injury and his ability to bat in the current innings or the remainder of the Test remains uncertain.
Ton-up Salman Ali Agha power Pakistan to 556
Pakistan had earlier posted a formidable 556-run total in their first innings on the flat Multan pitch. England's bowlers toiled tirelessly but found little success. Brydon Carse claimed his maiden Test wicket when he dismissed Naseem Shah, the stubborn nightwatchman. Jack Leach also made a significant contribution, removing Mohammad Rizwan for a duck. However, Salman Agha's impressive 108-ball century, the third of the innings, solidified Pakistan's dominant position.
England faced a setback when Ben Duckett was injured just as they were preparing to bat, and they subsequently lost captain Ollie Pope—who had been moved to the top of the order—without scoring. He was dismissed by a spectacular diving catch from Aamer Jamal at midwicket.
However, Zak Crawley (64 not out) and Joe Root (32 not out) provided a glimmer of hope for England, forming an unbroken partnership of 92 runs by stumps. Their solid performance suggested the possibility of a comeback for England on day three, especially given the favorable batting conditions.
Similar to the opening day's play, England's bowlers put in a strong effort, particularly during the morning session. Despite their toil, they were frustrated by a 64-run partnership between Saud Shakeel (82) and Naseem Shah. While the duo was difficult to dismiss, they managed to slow down the scoring rate significantly, with only 69 runs added in the first session. When Brydon Carse finally struck on his debut and Jack Leach dismissed Rizwan, Pakistan found themselves wobbling at 393-6.
Pakistan resumed strong after lunch
After lunch, Shakeel and Agha continued to build on Pakistan's total, reaching 450 runs. However, Shoaib Bashir's excellent delivery dismissed Shakeel, caught at slip. Brydon Carse also claimed a wicket, dismissing Jamal.
England would have been pleased to dismiss Pakistan for a total below 500 on such a flat pitch. However, Salman Agha's counterattacking innings, taking advantage of England's tiring bowlers, proved to be a significant challenge.
Agha narrowly escaped dismissal when on 15, as a catch from Chris Woakes on the long-off boundary was ruled a six due to his right foot remaining outside the boundary rope. The England captain, Pope, also made an unsuccessful review when Agha was on 67, as Jack Leach's delivery was pitching outside leg stump.
Salman Ali Agha's well deserved century
Agha went on to secure a well-deserved third Test century, while Leach finally dismissed Shaheen Afridi (26) just two balls later, bringing an end to their crucial 85-run partnership for the ninth wicket.
Surprisingly, this did not lead to a declaration from Pakistan, and England squandered two golden opportunities to wrap up the innings sooner. Jamie Smith missed an easy stumping chance of Abrar Ahmed, and Gus Atkinson dropped a straightforward catch just an over later. Eventually, Root managed to take Ahmed's wicket, but it came at a cost due to Duckett's injury.
The disorganized conclusion to the innings, combined with Duckett's absence leading to a reshuffled batting lineup, created significant concern within the England camp, especially after the sudden dismissal of their captain in the second over of their reply. However, Crawley and Root batted resolutely until stumps, with Crawley in particular displaying excellent form, scoring an unbeaten half-century that included 11 boundaries.
