Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Independent UK
The Independent UK
Sport
Sonia Twigg

Mark Wood gives England hope of winning second Test with double strike

AP

Mark Wood claimed two crucial wickets before lunch to halt Pakistan’s victory charge and give England hope of winning the second Test in Multan.

Having started the fourth morning on 198 for four and needing 157 more runs to level the series, the hosts were boosted by Saud Shakeel and Mohammad Nawaz’s 80-run sixth-wicket stand.

But Wood removed the pair in consecutive overs, for 94 and 45 respectively, to leave Pakistan 291 for seven with 64 runs still needed to win.

Shakeel had been the key man for his side, reaching his highest Test score of 94 from 213 deliveries, but Wood had him caught behind by a diving Ollie Pope on the stroke of lunch.

The decision was reviewed and the third umpire took a long time studying the catch before determining that wicketkeeper Pope did manage to get his gloves under the ball, and he was given out agonisingly short of a maiden Test century.

Before that, Pope also held on as Nawaz – who played with more freedom than Shakeel – tickled Wood behind down the leg side.

At the start of the day, England had turned to their veteran bowler James Anderson, but it was Joe Root who took the first wicket.

Faheem Ashraf became the Yorkshireman’s 50th Test scalp when he edged to Zak Crawley at slip for just 10.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.