Pak vs Eng: Ben Duckett leads charge against Pakistan's 366 all out
1. Visiting side were 88 for one at tea with Duckett standing on 53 and Ollie Pope on five
Ben Duckett led England's strong response to Pakistan's first-innings total of 366 with a quickfire unbeaten fifty on day two of the second Test in Multan on Wednesday. At tea, England stood at 88 for one, with Duckett not out on 53 and Ollie Pope on five.
Duckett and Zak Crawley formed a brisk opening partnership of 73 runs before Crawley was dismissed for 27. He narrowly avoided a run-out after a mix-up with Duckett, as bowler Sajid Khan broke the stumps before collecting the ball. However, Sajid redeemed himself shortly after when he had Crawley lbw, only for the decision to be overturned upon review, with replays showing the ball would have missed the stumps.
Despite his lucky escapes, Crawley couldn't capitalize and fell to Noman Ali, who convinced captain Shan Masood to review a caught-behind appeal, which was confirmed by replays showing an edge.
Earlier, Pakistan was all out for 366 in their first innings, with debutant Kamran Ghulam scoring a fluent 118 and Saim Ayub contributing 77. England's bowlers were impressive, with spinner Jack Leach taking 4 wickets for 114 runs and seamer Brydon Carse claiming 3 for 50.
Pakistan's lower order showcased resilience, reaching 358 for eight by lunch on day two. After resuming on 259-5, Pakistan lost Mohammad Rizwan to Carse for 41, despite Rizwan having survived a strong lbw appeal from Matthew Potts. Salman Ali Agha contributed 31 but also fell to a catch behind after Potts extracted extra bounce.
Leach dismissed Sajid Khan for just two runs, while Aamer Jamal frustrated England despite struggling at the crease and requiring on-field treatment. As the lone specialist seamer in Pakistan's spin-heavy attack, Jamal's fitness is crucial for the team's hopes of leveling the series.
On day one, Ghulam made a superb debut century, helping Pakistan recover from a shaky start of 19-2. He forged a 149-run partnership with Saim Ayub and added 65 runs with Rizwan. Ghulam reached his century with a boundary off spinner Joe Root and completed a resolute knock of 118 runs from 323 balls before being bowled by Shoaib Bashir.
England adopted a short mid-off and two mid-wicket fielders after lunch but struggled to take wickets, as the Multan pitch provided little assistance to the spinners. England currently leads the three-match series 1-0.
**Pakistan Playing XI:**
Saim Ayub, Abdullah Shafique, Shan Masood (captain), Kamran Ghulam, Saud Shakeel (vice-captain), Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Salman Ali Agha, Aamir Jamal, Noman Ali, Sajid Khan, Zahid Mehmood
**England Playing XI:**
Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (captain), Jamie Smith (wk), Brydon Carse, Matt Potts, Jack Leach, Shoaib Bashir
