Nobody puts a tiger in a corner. Welcome to live coverage of day three of the second Test from Multan where play will resume with England on 239 for six, 127 behind Pakistan, after an extraordinary final session dominated by the bustling, jaunty figure of Sajid Kahn. The man with the Jack Leach pate and Lionel Mandrake handlebar moustache who bounds in bouncily like a young Ian Botham, all busy buttocks and swirling shoulders, grabbed the match by the slack of its pants and hauled it Pakistan’s way with a spell of three for six off 10 balls, dismissing Joe Root, Ben Duckett and Harry Brook.
When Noman Ali chipped in with the wicket of England captain Ben Stokes, suitably scratchy and rusty in his first red-ball innings since July 28, Pakistan were cock-a-hoop and the joyous ululations from the close fielders resounded around Multan in stark contrast to last week’s forlorn, footsore toilers.
What a difference seven days makes to a pitch (and three days of watering, rolling and baking between days five and six) and however unusual back-to-back Tests on the same strip are we can at least be grateful for it levelling the balance between bat and ball, making it a genuinely competitive contest.
Nonetheless, England consider themselves neither down nor out, a far cry from Ahmedabad in 2021 or when Jadejad in Rajkot, Ashwined in Ranchi and Kuldeeped and Ashwined in Dharamsala last February and March.
Brydon Carse and Matty Potts can both bat, Jamie Smith has given us half a dozen examples of his class and ingenuity and Jack Leach of his doggedness so there is a chance that they can claw their way closer to parity. Even if they don’t, Ben Duckett, who made a chanceless fourth Test century yesterday, is bullish about their prospects with the ball, backing them to wreck the minds of a Pakistan side who have not won at home since 2021, racking up seven defeats and four draws since beating South Africa at Rawalpindi. Unsurprisingly he also backs England to chase anything down but it will be tricky to make much more than 200 should Sajid and Noman (is an island, entire of itself) find their beguiling best again in the fourth innings.
Whatever happens, it makes these dawn calls worthwhile. Their critics mock them for their ‘saving Test cricket’ spiel which seems to me to be noble if gauche, but this England side are never less than gripping.
Source: telegraph.co.uk