Match report
Some further reading:
That’ll do from me.
Thanks to everyone who joined in and contributed, especially those who indulged my silliness regarding floppy hats.
Pakistan’s day in the end thanks to a brilliant last hour after England were in cruise control.
How close can they get to Pakistan’s score? You’ll have to tune in tomorrow to find out.
Look out for the report set to drop any minute.
See ya!
Duckett just loves playing in Pakistan.
He averages 79.28 here, up from the 42.2 he averages across his career. This was his second hundred in five Tests to go along with scores of 63, 79, 82* and 84.
Duckett, who was brilliant, is speaking:
It [accelerated] really quickly. I was happy with how I played and would have been good to go back out there tomorrow with a couple of wickets less, but credit to them. I thought the they bowled so well throughout our innings. They didn’t want to make it easy for us. We can see it spinning. If we can win the first hour tomorrow and get as close as we can to their score and make it a one innings match.
They [slowed their pace down] to me. We thought the new ball would be the hardest phase but actually it was when it was most true and sweeping was easier. When it got softer it became a lot harder. It didn’t quote come off the bat so you were sweeping for two rather than four. They bowled well. They were right at us and got their rewards at the end of the day.
[On the sweep] I’m playing it and committing so much that missing it is not in my head. I remember Younis Khan speaking about sweeping a long time ago and he basically spoke about not getting out lbw. He wants to take two dismissals out the game – lbw and bowled. He didn’t mind top edging it. I’m the same. Bat on ball.
“To continue Atherton’s theme, Dan, that took a turn in the last hour.”
Right you are Simon McMahon. England’s innings certainly caught a tail spin.
Credit to Pakistan. I was chewing them out for their inept performance and some poor body language, but they stuck in the fight thanks to Sajid who ended with 4-86 and bagged the scalps of Pope, Root, Duckett and Brook. Not a bad haul.
“And on the seventh day it spun.”
So says Michael Atherton on Sky.
STUMPS: England 239-5 (trail by 127)
A brilliant day of Test cricket comes to a close. Smith adds one more to his score and Carse sees out Zahid.
England still have a way to go and will need to bat out of their boots tomorrow to reduce the deficit.
England were in cruise control when Duckett and Root were scoring at will, but a collapse of 4-14 saw the middle order blown away by Sajid and Noman.
Smith remains not-out on 12 with Carse with him on 2.
52nd over: England 238-6 (Smith 11, Carse 2) Carse does well to keep out Sajid, who goes back to over the wicket. One slower ball tossed up almost brings out the drive. There’s also an appeal for lbw as Carse goes back in his crease, but it’s hit him outside the line of off stump.
51st over: England 238-6 (Smith 11, Noman 2) No runs conceded from Noman. A maiden keeps the pressure on. That means that Sajid will have a crack at Carse next over.
50th over: England 237-6 (Smith 10, Carse 2) A rare loose ball from Sajid – a rank full toss that Smith whacks for four through the cover. Sajid has decided to operate from round the wicket which is strange considering his joy from over. He’s looking for that miracle ball that lands outside off and turns back through the gate. To be fair, it almost comes off as a late inside edge from Smith saves him and trickles away for a single.
Our Floppy Hat XI has its bowling attack – and skipper - sorted thanks to Geoff Wignall:
I can’t see the difficulty in choosing the floppy hat seam attack. Simply pick from Wasim, Walsh, Hadlee, Broad (and Caddick). And didn’t Donald sometimes favour one?
Incidentally, much as we all love Jack Russell this team’s captain would be Clive Lloyd. That’s just a fact.
49th over: England 232-6 (Smith 6, Carse 1) Smith has his first boundary with a wild slash at some length. It catches the outside edge and races away. They all count.
Jeremy Boyce thinks that England got their tactics wrong:
I go back to the idea I suggested to Rob Smyth yesterday. Stokes should have declared their first innings at 0 - 0 after 1 ball, and had Pakistan out there batting again on what has obviously now turned into a sticky dog.
48th over: England 228-6 (Smith 2, Carse 1) Pakistan are racing through their overs, trying to wedge as many in as they can before the close. Sajid is tossing it up a little higher, trying to tempt the drive. Carse gets off the mark with a quick run into the covers. Smith adds another to his tally with a push off the front foot.
47th over: England 226-6 (Smith 1, Carse 0) A maiden from Noman to Smith. The final ball whistles past the outside edge. More turn, slower through the air, this is more like it from Pakistan’s spinners.
46th over: England 226-6 (Smith 1, Carse 0) It’s all about consolidation now for England. With Pakistan on top, Smith has to take a leading role. He gets s single off the last over but maybe deserved more from that swishing cover drive. Good fielding kept it down to just one.
45th over: England 225-6 (Smith 0, Carse 0) Kudos to both batters for getting padded up in time. I reckon that was a mad dash to make it. Now they have a tough job steering their team to the close. Wonderful bowling from Pakistan’s spinners. Noman has slowed his pace right down and is making good use of that round-arm action.
Colum Fordham must have a crystal ball:
Delighted Duckett got to his thoroughly deserved century I’m also enjoying Sajid’s quirky offspin and joyous reactions. His expression with his wonderful moustache after taking his wickets is something to behold. Positively piratical.
Maybe he’ll galvanise Pakistan into action. He certainly is providing a bit of fun and he’s getting real turn.
Spot on, mate.
WICKET! Stokes c Shafique b Noman 1 (England 225-6)
What is going on!? Stokes is gone off the inside edge. he went to flick it through the on-side but could only find a feather that bounced off his pad and spooned up in the air. Shafique standing at backward short leg reacted sharply and grabbed it on the dive. Three wickets in eight balls. They’re 4-14 and have gone from 211-2 to 225-6!
Updated
“Didn’t Jack Russell cause a bit of a rumpus by flatly refusing to wear the official England headwear? I believe the powers that be relented and let him go out in his beloved lucky hat.”
Right you are David Brown, which is why he captains our Floppy Hat XI.
WICKET! Brook b Sajid 9 (England 225-5)
Sajid is turning this game on his own! Two in the over. Three in nine balls. What a run this is! Outside the off-stump, some sharp turn has Brook playing all around it and he’s castled. Fantastic bowling. Sajid celebrates with wild eyes! And why not. He’s been terrific throughout the innings.
44th over: England 225-5 (Stokes 1)
Updated
WICKET! Duckett c Salman b Sajid 114 (England 224-4)
Sajid has two in two! Loose from Duckett. It was dangled there, teasing him, tempting him to flash. He took the bait without getting his head or feet towards the ball and a thick edge was well held by Salman at slip. Turn from Sajid who deserves a third wicket. A glimmer of light now for Pakistan.
43rd over: England 224-3 (Duckett 114, Brook 9) Brook is a joy. He leans into a cover drive that screams to the rope despite it being no more than a gentle push. Then he pummels a pull over the infield for four to midwicket. He’s not wasting any time.
ECB keen to keep hold of Hundred franchises
This could get messy.
As Simon Burnton reports, the ECB “do not want to just feel bounced into selling them [when] we could have got a lot more if we’d held back.”
This one will have a few more twists before it settles.
42nd over: England 216-3 (Duckett 114, Brook 1) Success for Sajid who bags the big fish of Root. He concedes four runs off a slashing edge from Duckett that flies through slip before he had a chance to move. Brook gets off the mark with a single off his first ball.
WICKET! Root b Sajid 34 (England 211-3)
A bolt from the heavens! I said Pakistan needed something from someone and Sajid, by far their best bowler this innings, is the man again. Root brought out the sweep to a wider ball outside off but it got full on him and he bottom-edged it back on his stumps. Not sure the shot was one. Perhaps it kept a touch low. Either way, he’s got to go!
41st over: England 210-2 (Duckett 109, Root 34) All too easy for England. What’s most concerning for Pakistan is that they don’t seem to have an answer. Seven off this Zahid over, all run between the wickets. Pakistan need a bolt of inspiration from someone.
Can someone please put together a floppy-hat XI?
I’m concerned we’d struggle with bowlers but thankfully Michael Laycock has one:
I‘ve not properly followed the floppy hat discussions but I can’t believe that no-one has mentioned the definitive Englishman (in my mind) to wear one, Andrew Caddick. Him either taking it from, or handing it to the umpire, is one of the defining images of English cricket in the late 90s/early 00s.
John Swan is doubling down on an earlier theory about the size of the man being a key factor in pulling off a floppy:
I take Jeremy Boyce’s point, but I stand by my theory. Alvin Kallicharan is simply the exception that proves the rule.
Incidentally we had an Estate Agent round our house last year who was also called Kallicharan. So I asked the inevitable question and no, he wasn’t.
Jeremy Boyce sorts our spinner selection for us:
Updated
40th over: England 203-2 (Duckett 104, Root 32) Sajid is back but he’s not brought his radar with him. 200 up as Root tucks a reverse sweep for a single. Ducket gets a single himself with a slap into the off-side. Root then pulls/sweeps a short ball that bobbles away behind square on the leg side for two.
Duckett brings up his fourth Test ton!
He does it with a sweep! An outstanding innings with a range of sweeps either side of the wicket. This one, off Salman, was conventional, in front of square and right out of the middle of the bat. Off just 120 balls.
39th over: England 199-2 (Ducket 103, Root 29)
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38th over: England 190-2 (Duckett 99, Root 28) Half an appeal against Duckett on 99. Questions if it hit the shoulder of the bat from an attempted reverse but it actually brushed his own shoulder. Root gets three with an outside edge. Duckett looks a little scratchy. Just one more to go.
I’ll keep talking about floppy hats as long as you keep the flame burning.
Rick Foot is certainly doing his bit:
Enjoying the OBO, as ever.
No discussion of floppy hat wearers can be complete without mentioning Clive Lloyd. I have a vague recollection of John Arlott comparing him, more than once, to Paddington Bear...
Here he is in the 1975 Gillette Cup final:
37th over: England 186-2 (Duckett 98, Root 25) It’s a cliche even to ask, but when did Root get to 25? Well, this over, actually, but it feels like he was on 6 not too long ago. He gets a boundary with a reverse sweep off Noman after sweeping conventionally for two. The final ball is a beauty that beats his outside edge, but it looked like he held his line and didn’t prod at it.
Duckett gets a single which means he’s the fastest in the to 2,000 runs in the history of Test cricket in terms of balls faced. That was his 2,293rd delivery. What a strike-rate!
New Spin Column!
Tanya Aldred has penned the latest Spin and it’s another banger.
The whole nation is benefiting from from a bunch of northerners.
Both the mens’a and women’s teams in Durham are doing their bit which means everyone’s a winner.
36th over: England 178-2 (Duckett 97, Root 18) And that is why Duckett is wearing a helmet. He goes low to sweep Zahid but it clangs his headgear. That one caught him flush but he insists that he’s alright. Three singles – two for Root, one for Ducket – has things ticking along.
Finally, someone namechecks the king of the floppy white.
As a schoolboy wicketkeeper batter and keen FHW in the late eighties and early nineties, Jack Russell would have been my style icon. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to replicate the tache.
Few could, Bobby Dunnett. Only a few could.
Rob Vile (great name btw) is combinging two of my favourite subjects here:
I think Zak Crawley missed a trick when he was out to Noman an hour ago. In Homer’s Odyssey, Odysseus tells the cyclops Polyphemus that his name is “Noman”, so that when he and his men stabbed the big lummox in his one eye and flee his cave, Polyphemus can only tell the other cyclopes [yes I had to look up the plural of cyclops], that “Noman attacked me”. Hearing that no-one had apparently stabbed Polyphemus, the other cyclopes assumed it was an act of Zeus and didn’t go looking for Odysseus, who made his escape. I think Crawley could have employed a similar tactic this morning by declaring to the umpires that “Noman has taken my wicket!”, meaning that they would have no choice but to allow him to keep batting. Maybe one for the boys further down the order to consider.
In a recent article for the Nightwatchman Quarterly, I likened myself to Xenophon taking refuge in the ruins of Nineveh. This is how I feel, as a South African, looking at old scorecards that include the likes of Kallis, de Villiers, Smith and Amla. Like Xenophon I can’t fathom how such mighty empires can collapse.
I admit, it was a tenuous link. But I had great fun writing it!
35th over: England 175-2 (Duckett 96, Root 16) Root drags Noman’s full ball for four with a heaving sweep. He then works another one fine into a large gap in the field and gets back safely for three.
Time for drinks.
34th over: England 168-2 (Duckett 96, Root 9) Duckett gets closer to three figures with another single. Root climbs into a drag down from Zahid – into the attack for his first over – but doesn’t quite catch all of it and has to settle for a single himself. Earlier, Root collected a couple with a little flick. Not a bad opening set from Zahid.
Stephen Brown gets his wish.
There’s a bowling change. Sajid, who I thought was looking good, is yanked from the attack and is replaced by Zahid.
33rd over: 164-2 (Duckett 95, Root 6) Duckett clearly isn’t bothered by the prospect of getting out in the 90s. He’s carrying on as he started. A wild reverse sweep to length ball makes him look a little silly as it lands in the keeper’s gloves behind him. But fair play to him. He’s not going to tip-toe to a milestone. He’ll have to wait a little longer as all he can manage in this over is a single after a flick to the leg side.
Stephen Brown asks a good question:
Unfortunately I have nothing to contribute about FHWs.
But I do have a question. Given Pakistan apparently bought 10 bowlers and a wicketkeeper to this match. Why have they got to the 30th over only using 3?
I appreciate that spinners bowl longer sessions than seamers, but it’s not like they are ripping through the England order. Surly it needs to be changed up a bit more frequently?
Now that you mention it, Stephen, I’m not sure. I ge why Sajid has continued. They’re trying to get a run at Root. But Noman hasn’t threatened for some time. Might as well give someone else a go, right?
32nd over: England 163-2 (Ducket 94, Root 6) Root has not scored a run in what has felt like an age. Sajid really needs to line up a full over at him. He only gets two balls this time but does find the front pad, albeit via an thick inside edge. He’s certainly the more threatening of the two spinners operating at present.
31st over: England 162-2 (Duckett 93, Root 6) Ducket goes into the 90s with a thumping reverse sweep. Is he currently the world’s best reverse-sweeper? Hard to think of anyone better. A single gets him off strike which means Sajid will have to continue toiling against the left-hander at the start of the next over.
30th over: England 155-2 (Ducket 86, Root 6) There’s a revire for lbw but it’s hitting Root a long way outside the off-stump. A poor review frankly. Three very controlled runs from that Sajid over.
Ray Murphy from Hobart has chucked another name in the hat:
Hi Daniel, just catching up on OBO from Hobart after getting kids to bed. The consummate FHW from down under is surely Greg Chappell? In fact, we didn’t call it a FH it was just a GCH (Greg Chappell Hat to be sure). A must have accessory for every junior suburban cricketer in the 70s/80s.
Krishna Moorthy reminds that there were once lunatics who played this game:
All these talks about helmets and hats - Sunil Gavaskar says hello who faced Marshal Roberts Garner and Holding with just his curly locks
Andrew Benton offers another example of Englishmen being weird:
All this helmet talk got me thinking about heads, and particularly Joe Root’s engagement with them. Not only has he ‘polished’ balls on heads, but didn’t he a couple of years ago, take a team members hat off to slap him on the head (and the team member didn’t look too pleased about it)? Makes me feel Root’s a bit odd - people’s heads really should not be touched at all, given the potential (perhaps small) for damage from such low speed impacts and engagement.
29th over: England 152-2 (Duckett 83, Root 6) How has that missed! Oh my, Duckett is a lucky fish. It’s three byes, which is harsh on Rizwan. A fullish ball prompts the big reverse sweep from Duckett and it simply dies in the pitch, dribbling inches from the wickets and through the legs of the keeper. Earlier in the set Duckett worked a controlled reverse for two. This pitch is definitely starting to show signs of deterioration.
28th over: England 147-2 (Duckett 81, Root 6) Ducket again spanks Sajid’s first ball of the over for four. This one was lashed backward of square. A little uppish, but no gully means it was safe. A single brings Root on strike for just one delivery. Sajid definitely looks more menacing to the right-hander. They’ll want to try manipulate this so he gets a proper run at him.
27th over: England 142-2 (Duckett 76, Root 6) A maiden from Noman who is full to Root. One ball skidded a little low. Something to keep an eye on.
26th over: England 142-2 (Duckett 76, Root 6) Aggression from Ducket who decides he’s not going to let Sajid settle into a groove. The first ball is walloped down the ground after a short shimmy out his crease. Sajid lands a beauty that jags past a hard push but then Duckett gets out the revers sweep and finds another boundary. There was a degree of risk as Salman, stationed close by, moved in anticipation of the shot but couldn’t grab it.
More hat chat!
Which I’m loving, by the way. Keep ‘em coming.
Jeremy Boyce:
What is John Swan talking about, “too short” ? Here’s that strapping lad Alvin Kallicharan in action...
Lee Johnson:
Although I agree in principle with John Swan re FHW (to paraphrase Partridge in today’s Hat Topic), I think you’ll find that Richie Richardson was even more Gower than Gower when batting in his maroon floppy.
Lee, painting in a slightly drizzly London
This opens a new topic. What’s your favourite thing to do while the cricket is on (besides watching, eating or drinking).
I love doing jigsaw puzzles! No, really. I find them the perfect level of engaging and meandering while the TV is thrumming with cricket activity.
25th over: England 132-2 (Duckett 66, Root 6) Tidy from Noman. Three runs off that set. Duckett is content to rotate the strike. Root collects another two with a clip through the leg side.
24th over: England 129-2 (Duckett 65, Root 4) An eventful over as Sajid returns. Pope crunched a tossed-up delivery with a mighty slog sweep but was then bowled by a beauty that turned back a mile. Root was almost out first ball as another one that dragged also kept low. England’s cheat-code with the bat squeezed it out and got two out of it before collecting another couple with a reverse sweep.
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WICKET! Pope b Sajid 29 (England 125-1)
A beauty! A classic off-spinner’s wicket. Full outside the off stump, he’s brought Pope forward to drive. It lands in the rough and turns at almost a right angle to find the gap between bat and pad and hit the stumps. The ball before was spanked for four but the spinner, back into the attack, gets his man. Lovely delivery.
This from Ewan Glenton should be plastered on billboards and buses around the country:
Someone around the 14th over said Yorkshire puddings are ‘overrated’. But surely that should be ‘overeaten’?…
Amen.
23rd over: England 120-1 (Duckett 64, Pope 25) Duckett goes for a mighty reverse sweep and almost loses his balance as it spins sharply past his wafting blade. That wasn’t pretty. Rizwan gathered and had the bails off in a flash. That was sharp keeping but only the whiff of danger of a stumping. Duckett then prods from his crease and a thick bat-pad squeezes past the man at forward short leg. If he was square of the wicket he might have been in business. Four singles keeps things ticking along.
22nd over: England 116-1 (Duckett 62, Pope 23) This is properly poor from Pakistan. Every over has a four-ball in the mix. Jamal’s half-volley is nudged through the covers by Pope and then he climbs into a half-tracker, bludgeoning it through midwicket off the back foot. How can you set a field to that sort of bowling? How can a captain implement a plan? They can’t. And Pakistan seriously need to get a grip here. I think that’s likely the end of Jamal’s toothless spell.
Are England’s women unfit?
Yes, says Alex Hartley. The World Cup winner, now a BBC commentator, didn’t hold back when she shared her thoughts after England’s shock exit from the T20 World Cup last night.
21st over: England 106-1 (Duckett 61, Pope 14) Better from Noman Ali. He’s mixing up his pace well and that’s causing a bit of a problem for the right-handed Pope. One ball has him reaching as he pushes at a cover drive and it catches a thick edge. He follows that up with a jaffa that pitches around middle and off and turns to beat the outside edge. But then, having built up substantial pressure, he drags down a half-tracker and Pope climbs into a cut shot that whistles to the rope.
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20th over: England 102-1 (Duckett 61, Pope 10) Jamal chucks a bit of dross beyond Duckett’s pads and the opener helps it on its way for four. He then brings his length back but it’s still on Duckett’s pads and he clips it in front of square for three. The additional run courtesy of a no-ball – Jamal’s third over-step – brings up England’s 100.
19th over: England 93-1 (Duckett 54, Pope 9) Two off this Noman Ali over with a pair of singles. He’s finding a better length now, brining the batters forward. How do they get a wicket though? How do they build consistent pressure? It’s not threatening enough for my liking. Maybe an extra catcher in the eye-line?
More hat/helmet chat! You’re all make my day!
Robin Hazlehurst gets technical:
Interesting to read Will Padmore’s comments on helmets. Especially because one consequence of players not wearing helmets is that in order to smother spinners in a match like this they ... will pad more.
John Swan is leaning more into vibes:
For me, to carry a floppy hat properly you can’t be too short, but you also need a certain sang-froid, almost languidness. Hence David Gower for me is the sine qua non of FHWs (floppy hat wearers, for the avoidance of doubt).
You ask about this current team - Crawley, Root, Brook, Stokes and Smith, for me. Anyone lower than 7 can’t really carry it off, and Duckett & Pope are too short so need alternatives. They’d go bare-headed and blue cap respectively.
18th over: England 91-1 (Duckett 53, Pope 8) Jamal is full and straight, targeting the stumps with a man catching at short midwicket. Three times Pope flicks and picks out the fielder. Off the first ball he clipped a couple off his pads and off the last ball he managed to work the angle and pick up a single down to fine leg.
Alrighty, they’re back out there. Jamal has the ball. Can he put in a considerable shift so Pakistan don’t have to stick with samey-spin from both ends?
Has anyone bowled to a left-hand, right-hand pair before? Sure you have. It’s a nightmare, right? Now imagine one is seven feet tall and the other could walk under a dining room table.
As Liam Ward says:
Bowlers have always hated bowling at a right & left handed partnership, so I can’t imagine how difficult it is to add the height difference of Crawley & Duckett into the mix too. I wonder if it explains so many of their fast starts as the margin for error compared to other opening partnerships is so small. As I email you, however, Crawley nicks off...
Despite the nick, it’s a point well made.
A shout-out to James Walsh, one of our readers who is, as he says, “flu-addled”
He’s hoping “Pope’s catholic-on-a-hot-tin-roof routine” can yield some runs. Now wouldn’t that be…. divine!
Sincere apologies.
Will Padmore adds to the helmet discourse.
His email covers ground we’ve walked over already but his final point is a really good one. I wonder if any of these youngsters have ever faced a hard ball without a helmet.
Probably worth mentioning that many of the younger players have never known batting without a helmet so it’s second nature for them.
Bernard Hughes shares a bit of a horror story:
Hi Daniel – twenty years ago I top-edged a spinner into my own face and smeared my nose all around it. I’ve worn a helmet against all bowling ever since, and very pleased the England players do too. Makes me wince when I see top-tier players not doing so
One of the joys of doing these OBOs is steering the group chat down a weird and niche quirk of cricket.
Who knew that talk of big floppy hats and helmets would garner such interest.
Nikhilesh is in agreement (that batting in a comically large hat is the ultimate flex from a batter) and cites a few legends of the craft:
Good afternoon (in the subcontinent at least). Re the ultimate flex, thoughts go back to Carl Hooper, Ritchie Richardson, and Desmond Haynes.
Patrick Tully reminds us that there are more pragmatic reasons for what’s going on:
In response to the earlier message on batting in helmets, the England team have their own rules (It covers all ECB first class/limited overs top tier games too) that all batters must wear helmets against all types of bowling. It’s up to national boards though as there’s no blanked rule from the ICC, hence Shimron Hetmeyr often batting in a floppy hat to spin (but puts one on when batting against seam/fast bowlers).
On that, which of these England batters would most likely wear a floppy hat while batting?
Cook inducted into ICC Hall of Fame
The Knight of the Realm becomes the 31st England player to make the list.
He thanked his old mentor, Graham Gooch and said that he “Left no stone unturned … every time I pulled on the England shirt, I tried my best to be as good as I could be.”
Updated
Lunch: England 88-1
Fair to say that’s England’s session. Just the one run from this 17th over – the last before tea – which means England head to the shed well on top. They still trail by 278 runs, but on this deck, and with Duckett batting like a dream, one imagines another gargantuan score is over the horizon.
Duckett remains unbeaten on 53 having brought up his half century after 47 balls. Pope is with him on 5.
After 17 overs England are cruising at more than five an over.
16th over: England 87-1 (Duckett 53, Pope 4) Some pace now as Aamer Jamal returns to the attack after that two over spell earlier. Four runs from his set that doesn’t threaten the batters at all. Pope clips a three into the deep on the leg side as Ducket keeps things ticking along with a gentle steer past point.
15th over: England 83-1 (Duckett 52, Pope 1) Just the single off this Noman Ali over. Another push down the ground from Duckett.
Dean Kinsella poses something of a philosophical question:
Good morning Daniel. Marvelous start from our tried and trusted opening pair. Pakistan could be under serious pressure by the end of this 2nd day. I’m just wondering if it is obligatory to wear a helmet when batting these days? In the face of an almost completely slow bowling attack and the extreme temperatures mightn’t they consider more comfortable headwear? A knotted hanky?
On helmets, I know some batters feel that they concentrate more when wearing them. As in, they help focus their vision. Also, when you sweep as much as Duckett, the last thing you want is to catch a top edge to the face from one that spits off the deck.
Personally, I find there are few things I enjoy more than batting with a baggy cap. However, the ultimate flex is batting with a big floppy hat.
14th over: England 82-1 (Duckett 51, Pope 1) That’s a 47-ball half century for Duckett. He gets it with a reverse sweep off Sajid Khan that spirals away for two. He then keeps the strike with a push down the ground.
Joseph Surtees is picking up on our culinary theme:
In response to Jeremy’s comment: and unlike in real life, these Yorkshire puddings aren’t massively overrated.
As someone not from the UK, I never understood the hype around little puffed up batter balls. Then I had a Yorkie Pud (can I call them that?) and my opinion changed. I love em! And will tolerate no slander about them on these streets!
13th over: England 79-1 (Duckett 48, Pope 1) Well Pakistan are on the board at least but they’ll have to find a way of gaining more control. Duckett manages to find a boundary, this time with a delicious little reverse sweep that trickles away fine. But the headline from that over is the wicket of Crawley. A loose stroke from a batter who has the potential to score big but too often gets himself out.
WICKET! Crawley c Rizwan b Noman Ali 27 (England 73-1)
Out of nowhere! Pakistan have their first and they got it on review. Crawley had a full swipe at a ball with a bit of width but just enough turn sees it catch the edge. The umpire wasn’t convinced but they reviewed and a thin spike on the ultra-edge proves to be Zak’s undoing. A poor stroke in retrospect, he just lost his shape as he lashed at it.
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12th over: England 73-0 (Crawley 43, Duckett 27) Another controlled set from Pakistan. They’ll want to stitch a few of these together. Sajid Khan hasn’t done anything different as far as I can tell. He’s just found a more consistent area. Both batters collect a single.
11th over: England 71-0 (Crawley 26, Duckett 42) A rare uneventful over. Just two singles from this one.
10th over: England 69-0 (Crawley 25, Duckett 41) Both openers get low to sweep. Crawley at the start of the over, Duckett at the end. Both end collect boundaries. They are steamrolling their hosts! Just to underline how much this is going England’s way, Crawley survives a lbw review. He missed his reverse sweep and was pinged dead in front. One red light. Another red light. But then, miraculously, a green light! He was heading back by the time he received his reprieve.
Updated
9th over: England 60-0 (Crawley 20, Duckett 37) England are feasting! Another sweep for four from Duckett. He really is a master of that shot. Noman Ali just can’t find a consistent area to build pressure.
As Jeremy Boyce says:
So England’s batters have found their way to their table and some to be tucking in, plenty of beef, done to a turn. Unusually the Yorkshire puddings will be served AFTER the beef, crisp and succulent, with the gravy train lower order runs on the side. Bon appetit !
8th over: England 54-0 (Crawley 20, Duckett 31) Sajid Khan has made a royal mess of a simple run-out chance. Crawley was caught ball watching as Duckett picked out the fielder at backward square. A mix up between left Crawley stranded half-way down the track. A clean up and accurate throw was made irrelevant as Sajid broke the bails with his arm before he gathered the ball. A proper howler in the field. My goodness, Pakistan don’t do themselves any favours at times. Duckett then rubs some salt in the wounds by spanking a full toss for four down the ground.
Brian Withington is liking what he’s seeing:
Morning Daniel
Given the way the surface is more or less holding up so far, it’s such a shame that we cannot continue this experiment of wicket non-rotation into a third Test. I believe ‘destruction testing’ is still a thing, whereby you continue to expose something to increasing stress until it finally completely fails, sometimes to spectacularly dramatic effect, sometimes a bit underwhelming. Rather like the ECB toying with the structure of county cricket, or ICC/FIFA stretching their respective calendars.
Team selection might get really interesting at some point …
Cheers
7th over: England 48-0 (Crawley 19, Duckett 26) A no-ball from a spinner. Doesn’t that just about sum up Pakistan’s efforts so far? Still, Noman Ali does land one on a testing area around leg stump and gets it to bite in the surface before beating Crawley past the outside the edge. There’s a hopeful appeal for lbw but it was always bouncing over. Ducket ends the set with a perfectly placed – and timed – sweep shot. Another over, another boundary from it. They’re motoring at almost seven an over.
6th over: England 39-0 (Crawley 16, Duckett 21) A boundary an over now. This one’s from Crawley who leans into a crisp drive off Sajid Khan’s tame off-spinner. England are in complete control.
Updated
5th over: England 33-0 (Crawley 10, Duckett 21) Looking ominous already for Pakistan. Ducket gets the broom out and hammers two sweeps for four. Noman Ali cuts a frustrated figure. What do Pakistan do from here?
Thanks Rob. Another cracking shift from you.
Howdy folks. Pakistan’s bowlers are already looking pretty frustrated already. Can they find the breakthrough?
4th over: England 25-0 (Crawley 10, Duckett 13) When Sajid gets his length right to Crawley he looks menacing. Crawley pushes an awkward delivery in the air but wide of short leg. But Sajid’s length has been pretty erratic and later in the over Duckett sweeps emphatically behind square for four. He has charged out of the blocks, again.
Right, it’s time for me to hand over to Daniel Gallan for the rest of the day – you can email him at daniel.gallan@theguardian.com. See you at 5.30am tomorrow, don’t be tardy.
Updated
3rd over: England 16-0 (Crawley 9, Duckett 5) Crawley works a no-ball from Jamal for a couple, then times a fuller ball through mid-on for four. It was a nice shot but should have stopped by the fielder Noman Ali.
2nd over: England 9-0 (Crawley 3, Duckett 5) The offspinner Sajid Khan, comfortably the youngest of Pakistan’s three recalled spinners at 31, takes the new ball. He has a whippy action for a spinner and appears to get some good revs on the ball.
His first delivery grips nicely and is dragged into the leg side for a single by Crawley, who is beaten later in the over when he pushes cautiously at one that goes straight on. Finally Sajid goes up for LBW when Duckett plays around another skidder; it would have missed leg stump. Even so, a promising start from Sajid.
Updated
1st over: England 6-0 (Crawley 1, Duckett 4) Sheesh. Crawley leaves the first ball of the innings and almost loses his off stump. It cut back slightly and, more ominously for England, kept low.
Crawley punches a single, then Duckett offers no stroke to a very wide delivery bowled from round the wicket. Breaking news: Ben Duckett has left a ball and life will never be the same again.
Duckett is soon into his work, slapping a cut for four to get off the mark. It was a no-ball too. This is your weekly reminder that no opener in Test history (minimum 500 runs) has scored more quickly than Duckett, not even Virender Sehwag. Here’s the list.
“I think you’ll find,” says Jeremy Boyce, “that a full English or a decent lunch are prerequisites for a pro golfer spending three or four hours out in the lashing wind and rain on one of our lovely links courses.”
Obviously I’m not a golfer.
Aamer Jamal, Pakistan’s only seam bowler, struggled with injury during his innings but he’s going to take the new ball.
And for Jack Leach, who leads Shoaib Bashir 11-2 on his return to the side. He hasn’t muddied the Ashes waters yet, but this is, in the parlance of our time, a fluid situation.
A word for Matthew Potts and Brydon Carse, who finish with combined figures of 46-15-116-5. That’s some effort in these conditions.
“I think it’s par, this Pakistan score,” says Digvijay Yadav. “But the thing about this England team is that they induce anxiety. Who knows what’s enough. And most teams (India and Australia excluded) can’t withstand their brutality to come back for a second swing.”
It’ll be interesting to see whether England try to adapt to the ageing pitch or just play like they did last week.
WICKET! Pakistan 366 all out (Noman c Carse b Leach 32)
Leach replaces Carse, who is likely to finish the innings with figures of 20-6-50-3. Yes he will because Noman has slog-swept Leach straight to Carse at deep midwicket. Leach finishes with 4 for 114 and England’s weary bowlers get to put their feet up.
Updated
123rd over: Pakistan 366-9 (Noman 32, Zahid 2) Jack Leach is getting loose. As Bazid Khan says on commentary, the game has come to a standstill; since lunch we’ve had eight runs in six overs.
It’s not for the want of trying by Potts, who goes past Zahid’s outside edge again. That’s his 26th over of the innings; he’s earned an ice bath and then some.
122nd over: Pakistan 365-9 (Noman 31, Zahid 2) “Nooooooo!” growls Carse after being wided for the third successive over. I think he was annoyed with himself rather than the umpire.
He continues to selectively pepper Noman, who misses an attempted swat through square leg.
121st over: Pakistan 363-9 (Noman 30, Zahid 2) Zahid is beaten by four consecutive deliveries from Potts, who deserves a third wicket as reward for a skilful, indefatigable performance. He doesn’t get it, at least not yet.
120th over: Pakistan 363-9 (Noman 30, Zahid 2) Noman heaves Carse into the leg side and takes the single; I thought he might try to farm the strike. It doesn’t matter this time because Zahid takes a single of his own next ball. A wide – too short – completes the scoring for the over.
“Guy asks what Cricinfo are saying is a par score for this wicket and match/series situation,” writes Jeremy Boyce. “But isn’t the point that, when considering England, they have ripped up the par score cards, sometimes play the course backwards, and often with just one club, the driver?”
Hang on, what happened to the carvery they were enjoying? You can’t play golf on a full stomach.
Updated
119th over: Pakistan 360-9 (Noman 29, Zahid 1) Zahid doesn’t have a first-class hundred, which makes him unique in this Pakistan team. He manages to survive a maiden from Zahid, a decent effort as he has to play all six deliveries.
118th over: Pakistan 360-9 (Noman 29, Zahid 1) Carse almost gets his fourth when the No11 Zahid Mahmood deflects the ball just past leg stump. Terrific stuff from Carse, who continues to impress; his figures are 17-6-45-3.
“You said earlier (over 108) that Noman Ali would be content to stick around as the support act,” says Rob Lewis. “Kind of Noman is an island of stability, I suppose.”
Ho ho. We’ll have all kinds of fun if he is ever plays a Test at Malahide.
Updated
WICKET! Pakistan 358-9 (Jamal b Carse 37)
Bang! That’s how to start a session. Brydon Carse’s first ball after lunch is a sizzling reverse inswinger that bowls Jamal off the pad. Not a loosener so much as a bail loosener.
BRILLIANT FROM BRYDON CARSE! 💥
— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) October 16, 2024
England have their ninth on the first ball after lunch! 🙌 pic.twitter.com/0vYusVYkV8
Updated
Hang on, the great Lord Selve has appeared in my inbox!
“Don’t forget that Curtly 7 for 25 included the 7 for 1 spell,” he writes. “And I WAS THERE . The one run was a Damien Martyn inside edge that dribbled past short leg. Probably the most inevitable spell of wicket-taking I’ve seen.”
It always amused me that he didn’t bowl well before lunch and was quietly fuming with himself. He bowled a crap spell by his standards and still ended up with 7 for 25! As England found out at Trinidad a year later, an irritated Curtly was a terrifying thing.
(If anyone has a long commute ahead, I did an essay on Curtly’s 7 for 1 for the book Supreme Bowling back in the day.)
Updated
The consensus before the game was that a used pitch made it safe to pick Ben Stokes as the third seamer. It hasn’t turned out like that: Stokes has only bowled five overs, which means England have effectively lost around 15 overs of seam. That might be significant. Might not. And the kicker is we’ll never know so this entry is almost entirely pointless!
“So, what’s par here?” says Guy Hornsby. “I mean who knows? What’s Cricinfo’s stats on using the same pitch? It’s probably next to unicorn’s economy rates. But it still feels like this is getting higher than England would want. This partnership, for all of the worries Jamal’s injury, is getting quite irritating. But then what does Jamal being crocked mean for Pakistan’s attack? In the land of Waqar, Imran and Wasim, there could be no pace bowler. There’s uncharted territory, and there’s this Test match!”
I don’t think there’s a single algorithm, never mind human being, that could tell you the par score on a day seven pitch. It’s exciting, eh?
Lunch
117th over: Pakistan 358-8 (Jamal 37, Noman 29) A quiet over from Bashir ends another intriguing session in Multan: 27 overs, 99 runs, three wickets.
England took the first hour, Pakistan the second and the match is beautifully posted. See you in half an hour for the afternoon session.
116th over: Pakistan 357-8 (Jamal 36, Noman 29) Nope, Stokes doesn’t want to wait for our lives to be over for lunch before making a bowling change. He brings back Brydon Carse to rough up the No10 Noman, who turns the tables with a couple of superb boundaries: a pleasant off drive and a thumping pull over midwicket. Shot!
Funny old game part 93,125: Carse’s first 15 overs cost 19, the last two have gone for 24.
“I’m sure the table was booked for about now, looks like the previous diners are reluctant to finish up and leave,” says Jeremy Boyce. “England’s openers will be hoping that when they finally get to table they don’t overcook the beef...”
115th over: Pakistan 349-8 (Jamal 36, Noman 21) Jamal reverse sweeps Bashir superbly for four, but he hurts his hip again in the process. He’s really struggling and there must be a doubt about whether he can take the new ball this afternoon; if he can’t, Pakistan’s attack will comprise seven spinners and no seamers.
114th over: Pakistan 345-8 (Jamal 32, Noman 21) Leach goes around the wicket to Noman, who hammers a sweep for four with the aid of a misfield from Potts on the boundary. He boots the air in frustration.
England might need a change of pace as these two look quite comfortable. There are only a few minutes to lunch, so perhaps Ben Stokes will wait until afterwards.
There’s a short break in play while Jamal is treated by the physio.
113th over: Pakistan 340-8 (Jamal 31, Noman 17) Jamal tries to sweep Bashir, then bounces around in pain when he gets to his feet. It looks like a hip problem. “Their one seamer…” sniggers Nasser Hussain on commentary.
He’s okay to continue for now. Bashir beats Jamal, then induces an inside-edge past leg stump for a single. Noman toe-ends an attempted cut past slip for four. Useful runs, these.
Updated
112th over: Pakistan 334-8 (Jamal 30, Noman 12) Root, under the helmet, is literally on his knees at leg gully as Leach bowls to Noman. It feels like Noman is starting to get bored of playing responsibly. He misses one reverse-sweep, then top-edges a second for three runs. Whatever the method, this is a useful partnership from Pakistan, 25 and counting.
Leach’s over ends with a vicious delivery that roars past Jamal’s outside edge.
111th over: Pakistan 331-8 (Jamal 30, Noman 8) Noman pulls Bashir onto his pad and wide of slip for a single. That was almost a chance.
110th over: Pakistan 329-8 (Jamal 29, Noman 8) It’s spin at both ends now. So far in this innings, the breakdown is:
Pace 44-13-120-4
Spin 66-3-202-4
Note the maidens.
Updated
109th over: Pakistan 328-8 (Jamal 28, Noman 8) With the left-handed Noman on strike it’s a good time for Shoaib Bashir to replace Potts.
Or maybe not: Noman sweeps his first two deliveries for two and then four. Pakistan have been good at attacking Bashir from ball one so that he doesn’t settle easily into a spell.
108th over: Pakistan 322-8 (Jamal 28, Noman 2) Noman lives a little dangerously against Leach, surviving an LBW appeal and bat-padding short of leg slip.
“As I said to Taha at the close of play yesterday,” begins Jeremy Boyce, “England would be happy to have five wickets in the bag, and be fancying their chances of batting before lunch (very much on the cards now), which they will hope to spread over the rest of the day with a menu of: plenty of beef from the openers, a huge plate of crisp Yorkshire pudding, lashings of gravy-train runs from the lower order, leading to just deserts being served enjoyed in a couple of days’ time. Yummy! How much tip should they leave?”
What if they dribble all that gravy down their nice new cabled shawl-collar cardigan? I think Pakistan are right in this game.
107th over: Pakistan 318-8 (Jamal 25, Noman 1) Potts has a throaty LBW shout against Noman turned down. The umpire Chris Gaffaney thought about it for quite a while, but once he said no England weren’t really interested in a revew. I suspect it was missing leg as Potts is bowling around the wicket to the left-hander.
The replays show it was just clipping leg stump, but that’s a perfectly reasonable decision from the umpire.
Updated
106th over: Pakistan 318-8 (Jamal 25, Noman 1) The No10 Noman Ali also has a first-class hundred. Looks like he has game awareness too; he’s doing nothing silly or indulgent, just trying to hang around in support of Jamal.
105th over: Pakistan 317-8 (Jamal 25, Noman 0) Jamal swivel-pulls Potts smoothly for four, a sign that he’s going to get on with it now that Pakistan are eight down. After fresh-airing another pull, although maybe fresh isn’t quite the right word today, he steers deftly past backward point for four more.
“This script screams Return Of The Jedi,” says Krishnamoorthy V. “However, should Pakistan bottle this (actually, should Ben Stokes pull out another rabbit from his bottomless hat), it is officially goodbye to Pakistan cricket.”
No no no. Pakistan could lose 479 games in a row and they’d still be dangerous.
104th over: Pakistan 309-8 (Jamal 17, Noman 0) That wicket is Leach’s 73rd in Tests on the subcontinent, equalling the England record held by a very different left-arm spinner, Derek Underwood. Just behind him is Jimmy Clouderson with 70.
WICKET! Pakistan 309-8 (Sajid c Root b Leach 2)
Gottim! Sajid drives Leach straight to short extra, where Root takes a smart catch to his right. I think it stopped in the pitch. Either way it’s Leach’s third wicket of the innings and his tenth of the series.
Jack Leach has his third as Sajid Khan chips one straight to Joe Root! 😍 pic.twitter.com/vgxFXqSOdT
— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) October 16, 2024
Updated
103rd over: Pakistan 309-7 (Jamal 17, Sajid 2) Jamal takes on a rare short ball from Potts, clunking a pull into the leg side for a couple. After defending a few straight deliveries, he slaps two more through extra cover. Drinks.
“The tail’s wagging, and seeing how the Durham boys have had the cherry dance around, you’ve got to wonder if Pakistan brought the wrong toolkit,” writes Zain Malik. “Jamal’s about to swap his bat for the ball, and if he doesn’t pull a Houdini with both, Pakistan might need more than a miracle to see this through.”
102nd over: Pakistan 304-7 (Jamal 13, Sajid 1) The new batter Sajid Khan edges Leach on the bounce to slip. His first-class record isn’t bad; he has one century and an average of 18.
101st over: Pakistan 302-7 (Jamal 12, Sajid 0) When he first played Test cricket Potts looked like he’d only really thrive in English conditions. But he was a revelation on the A tour of India earlier in the year and he has bowled superbly in this game: 20-6-52-2. He’s a serious contender for next winter’s Ashes.
Updated
WICKET! Pakistan 302-7 (Salman c Smith b Potts 31)
Carse off, Potts back on. Salman steers successive boundaries to third man, which makes it four in five balls off the quick bowlers. This is fantastic batting, which brings to mind Ian Bell at his peak in the 2013 Ashes.
Stokes reluctantly plugs the gap, albeit by putting in a gully rather than third man. And now Salman has gone! He opened the face yet again, was surprised by a bit of extra bounce and edged through to Jamie Smith.
A delighted Potts wags his finger in the direction of Salman. The bowler usually has the final word.
First Test century-maker Salman Ali Agha has to walk as Potts makes one bounce off the length ! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/KFI18Vzfhy
— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) October 16, 2024
Updated
100th over: Pakistan 294-6 (Salman 23, Jamal 12) Two from Leach’s over. England need to find a way to get rid of Salman Agha, who is batting expertly and has a series average of 190.
99th over: Pakistan 292-6 (Salman 22, Jamal 11) After conceding 19 from his first 15 overs of the innings, his 16th has gone for 16.
It started promisingly enough, when Jamal tried an uppercut and was beaten. Then he spponed Carse back over his head for four, an unconvincing stroke that elicited a few words from the bowler.
His partner Salman continued to play Carse with striking ease, opening the face to steer a boundary past short third. Carse growled in frustration – so Salman did it again.
Maybe a fifth over of the morning was one too many for Carse.
98th over: Pakistan 276-6 (Salman 12, Jamal 6) Close! Jamal, surprised by a ball that stops in the pitch, chips Leach right between the two close catchers on the off side, Crawley at extra cover and Root at short mid-off.
England have done well this morning: eight overs, 17 runs, one wicket.
On Carse’s figures being nicked from Curtly Ambrose, just look at some of these performances.
11-6-8-3
26-16-23-3
31-8-38-2
18-9-25-7
22-11-22-1
29-14-36-0
10-5-5-1
And that last one was in a one-day international.
97th over: Pakistan 275-6 (Salman 12, Jamal 5) Here, want to feel old? Well, Brydon Carse was born the day after Dominic Cork’s hat-trick against West Indies in 1995.
He’s not getting any sideways movement but continues to bowl straight to maximise any extra bounce. Just two singles from the over. Salman has looked very solid against Carse, which can’t be said for all of his teammates.
96th over: Pakistan 273-6 (Salman 11, Jamal 4) Ben Stokes keeps things moving by bringing on Jack Leach in place of Matthew Potts. He has a slip in place and starts by bowling very straight to Salman, who tucks a single to midwicket. Jamal clips another straight one into the deep for two.
95th over: Pakistan 270-6 (Salman 10, Jamal 2) Carse is hitting the bat harder than the speedgun (around 87mph) would suggest. Jamal gets off the mark with a flick off the hip for two; it would have been four but for a sprawling stop from Bashir.
For the second time in as many overs, a batter pulls his glove off the handle after being surprised by some extra bounce. Maybe this pitch is starting to go. Whatever the rights and wrongs of using the same pitch, it has made for some really intriguing cricket.
94th over: Pakistan 268-6 (Salman 10, Jamal 0) Salman looks suspiciously at the pitch after a ball from Potts hits high on the bat. Then he has to squat to defend another that keeps a bit low.
Salman, hitherto strokeless, cracks Potts’ final delivery to the extra cover boundary. Fine shot.
93rd over: Pakistan 264-6 (Salman 6, Jamal 0) Brydon Carse’s figures are 13-6-15-2. He should be done for plagiarising Curtly Ambrose.
Updated
Carse squared Rizwan up, got a bit of extra bounce and found the outside edge. It flew towards, who sprung to his right to take an excellent two-handed catch. That was particularly good because his weight was going the other way and he had to change direction in a split second.
Updated
WICKET! Pakistan 264-6 (Rizwan c Smith b Carse 41)
The Carse/Smith combination strikes again: superb delivery, terrific catch!
What a grab from Jamie Smith! 😮💨
— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) October 16, 2024
Brydon Carse makes the early breakthrough on Day Two! 🙌 pic.twitter.com/FhKCwNJ12v
Updated
92nd over: Pakistan 263-5 (Rizwan 41, Salman 5) After targetting the stumps for the first four balls, Potts throws one wider to tempt Rizwan. He obliges with an excellent cover drive for four.
Rizwan is not out! Too high, and going down as well. England are down to their last review. It was a cracking delivery from Potts though.
Rizwan pushed outside the line of a lovely nipbacker that hit him on the back thigh. Too high?
England review for LBW against Rizwan!
Potts has a big LBW shout against Rizwan turned down. Ben Stokes reviews, albeit a little reluctantly. It looked very close to the naked eye.
91st over: Pakistan 259-5 (Rizwan 37, Salman 5) Carse has one slip, a gully and a short mid-on in catching positions for Salman, who gets into his work with a few watertight defensive strokes.
As mentioned previously Salman is a very good No7. Of those with at least 500 Test runs in that position, his average of 49 is the tenth highest. It’s a good list. Brian McMillan was one cussed bugger, a constant thorn in England’s side in the mid-1990s.
Updated
The answer to the below question is seam, specifically Brydon Carse. He’s about to open the bowling.
The second new ball is 10 overs old. Spin or seam? Most of the time that’s a no-brainer; not here. There was more bite for the spinners with the new ball on the first day and the quicks were more dangerous as the older ball started to reverse. Against that, there’s a bit of cloud cover and both Mohammad Rizwan and Salman Agha are excellent players of spin.
I might suggest a bob each way but that’s not usually how Ben Stokes works.
Save the date: 21 November 2025
The schedule for the next Ashes series between Australia and England has been revealed 👀
— ICC (@ICC) October 16, 2024
Details 👇https://t.co/T7cmoDkg5f
Kamran Ghulam’s terrific hundred was only the sixth by a No4 batsman on Test debut. That’s fewer than any other position in the top eight. It sounds weird but it actually makes sense. As Yas Rana pointed out on the Wisden Patreon podcast, No4 is such a pivotal position that it usually goes to the most established player, not the least.
There’s no such thing as a bad debut century but the context made this especially good.
“Yesterday’s chat about AI and robot cricketers reminded me of this gem by the great Harry Pearson,” writes Paul Lakin.
This is hilarious, thanks for sending it in. I don’t remember reading it at the time. Sad to think that a piece like this probably wouldn’t be commissioned these days.
The first email of the day comes from Zain Malik
Walking in at 19 for 2 within the first ten overs is pressure enough. Coming in at the behest of a many-headed monster, mid-series at arguably the worst state the team has ever experienced since Lord’s 2010, stepping in as the stand-in for Pakistan’s biggest star since Shahid Afridi on a pitch cursed to spin like it’s been conjured by a sorcerer? And then becoming just the 12th Pakistani to score a century on debut? Yeah, that’s no casual stroll in the park. Sure, it’s not Harry Brook’s 300, but for a nation on the verge of losing faith in their beloved team, Kamran Ghulam walked in and wrote his name in bold.
With every shot he sent back at Leach, it was like he was whispering, “Babar who?” But Ghulam’s century says something more: Pakistan’s domestic circuit still produces world-class talent. The trouble only starts when the players become bigger than the system. And let’s be real an authoritarian board scrambling to fix a broken team mid-series by throwing around big names? Classic PCT.
But hey, it’s another day in Multan. Now, it’s up to Rizzy and Agha. And Agha, sitting at No7, has quietly turned into the anchor of Pakistan’s depth. In 15 Tests, he’s racked up over a thousand runs with three hundreds and eight fifties, at a cool average over 47. A No7 with a 45+ average and legit bowling skills? That’s an all-rounder who deserves way more hype. He’s probably eyeing another century, just to keep things interesting.
As Ramiz Raja put it at Lord’s in 2010, after Pakistan had come from 2-0 down to square the ODI series, a month after the spot-fixing scandal on the same ground: “Out of chaos, brilliance. Only Pakistan…” I can’t think of a team, in any sport, whose incompetence is less trustworthy.
Simon Burnton’s day one report
On this pitch, selected and prepared specifically to assist spinners, England bowled 15 consecutive overs of seam, took two wickets and conceded only 40 runs, even though for most of that time half a dozen fielders were spread in an intimidating parabola around the batter, leaving wide expanses of empty grass behind them.
A bit of cloud cover this morning in Multan 🌥️
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) October 16, 2024
How quickly can we take 5️⃣ wickets? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/azOywROfOS
Preamble
Morning darling. One of cricket’s charms – although some might use a less complimentary word – of cricket is that you can watch for six hours and still not know who’s winning. That was the case on a quietly compelling first/sixth day in Multan, which ended with Pakistan on 259 for 5.
Pakistan have put all their chips on spin bowling, yet it was England’s quicks who were the most threatening and economical. This used pitch will surely go rogue at some stage, so England’s first innings could decide the match. In short, this is a big day. By the end, we might even know who’s winning.
