Pakistan fought back to leave England fighting for their lives in the second Test thanks to some incredible spin bowling.
The match had seemed to be going England’s way, with the tourists appearing set to easily surpass Pakistan’s first-innings total of 366.
However, as the day neared its end. the spinners found some form, changing the game’s direction.
By stumps, England had collapsed to 225 for six, still trailing by 127 runs.
At one point, England appeared comfortable at 210 for two after 41 overs, but within just four overs, they slumped to 225 for six.
In the first two Tests of the series, England have amassed 1,034 runs for the loss of only nine wickets in 191 overs.
But in a stunning reversal, they lost four wickets for just 14 runs in three overs during this match.
Stumps on Day 2 ✅
A day to remember for Ben Duckett 💯 pic.twitter.com/ggrN8BQ7Dr
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) OCTOBER 16, 2024
Joe Root was the first to go, falling victim to a ball that ricocheted off his bat and foot before striking the stumps.
Duckett, having scored an impressive 114 from 129 balls, attempted to drive Sajid Khan and edged to Salman Agha at slip.
Five balls later, Sajid bowled a delivery that spun past Harry Brook’s bat, knocking into the stumps.
Ben Stokes followed soon after, while Jamie Smith and Brydon Carse managed to survive the remaining eight overs, enduring intense pressure from the Pakistani bowlers.
Before the collapse, Duckett recorded his fourth Test century, and it was the eighth-fastest by an England opener.
Khan’s spell for Pakistan was devastating, particularly when he bowled Brook, one of four wickets he claimed.
His turn and control disrupted England’s rhythm, and it was only after Crawley’s dismissal that Pakistan began to find some control over the pace of England’s scoring.
Speaking after the match, Ben Duckett said: “We kind of knew what the pitch was going to do.
“If we’d batted on that yesterday and there was only one seamer and it wasn’t spinning a great deal, things would have been very different. It’s only going to get harder, I think.
“We’re in a position now where tomorrow morning’s massive.
“We need to try to win that first session, then we’ll be in a good position in the game. I’d be very surprised if it didn’t just continue to spin more and more. Certainly that fourth innings is going to be a bit tricky.”
