Spinner Sajid Khan had given Pakistan a vital moment on the second day of the Test match in progress at Multan, which started against England. Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett opened with a flourish for England openers after England lost the first day’s play and was looking to negate their poor batting on that day. Duckett batted aggressively and carried on his spree; Ollie Pope joined him at the crease.
Then, together they added 52 runs. England was in complete control of the match. Sajid Khan changed the course of the match with a brilliant piece of bowling in the 24th over. After Ollie Pope was beaten for a boundary off the previous one, Sajid came back by delivering a beautifully flighted off-break that left Pope completely outfoxed.
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The batsman, coming forward to drive, misread the sharp turn of the ball, and it clipped the top of his off stump. It was a perfect blend of flight and spin, and Sajid’s roar of triumph depicted the significance of the wicket that brought Pakistan back into the game.
Vicious turn in to castle Ollie Pope 🎯
Sajid Khan gets the reward 💫#PAKvENG | #TestAtHome pic.twitter.com/FsWomnSv5x
— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) October 16, 2024
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On day two at tea, England were 88-1, with Ben Duckett looking solid on 53. Pope had just gone for five and England still had nine wickets in hand as they batted towards Pakistan’s first-innings total. Duckett’s half-century came off just 47 balls, and it also underlined his aggressive approach, with Pakistan’s bowlers operating only with one frontline seamer, Aamer Jamal.
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Earlier in the day, inspiration had come from Leach with the ball as Pakistan folded for 366. Brydon Carse and Matthew Potts had also lent good hand with each of them taking three and two wickets, respectively. And England, who were already leading the three-Test series 1-0 after winning the first Test by an innings at Multan, were now pushing hard to increase their lead.
