England Facing Defeat After Poor Start in Multan Test Chase"|ملتان ٹیسٹ میں انگلینڈ شکست کے قریب",England vs Pakistan, Multan Test Match Cricket News 2024,
England On the Verge After a Dire Start in
Multan Chase:
As dusk falls over Multan, England faces a tough challenge. They started poorly in what could be their toughest run chase. Brydon Carse and his teammates are frustrated, missing three big chances in Pakistan's second innings.
Pakistan set a huge target of 297. By the end of the third day, England was 36-2, with Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley gone. Pakistan looks set to level the series.
England had a tough day, losing their first-innings lead of 75 runs. Hopes of a comeback were crushed, mainly because of dropped catches by Jamie Smith and Joe Root. Salman Agha took advantage of these mistakes, scoring 63 runs.
The ninth-wicket stand between Salman and Sajid Khan added 65 runs. Sajid had earlier bowled England out for 291. Now, England must chase a record-breaking 297 to win.
Sajid started with the new ball, getting Duckett and Crawley out. Duckett hit a top edge, and Crawley was caught by Noman Ali.
A Test of Grit on Multan’s Dusty Surface
Winning in Multan would be a big achievement for England. They have never chased this many runs on Asian soil before. Their 1961 win in Lahore was their biggest chase then.
This England team is known for big run chases. But the unpredictable pitch makes this challenge even harder. Duckett and Crawley's dismissals make it even tougher.
Root and Ollie Pope are fighting hard, keeping England in the game. The tension is building as the game moves into day four.
Salman Slips Through England’s Grasp
England could have been in a better position if they had grabbed their fielding chances. Brydon Carse was unlucky, missing three big chances. Saud Shakeel edged one to Root, but Root dropped it.
Carse did get Rizwan out, but a big moment came when Smith dropped Salman. Root also had a chance to catch Salman, but missed it.
Those missed chances would have given England a better lead. Now, they look deflated, especially captain Stokes.
Leach and Shoaib Bashir took three wickets for 11 runs, including Shakeel for 31. But Salman scored 30 runs in 19 balls, including a six off Leach.
Sajid, who survived an lbw review, and his partner added runs at nearly six an over. This put England under a lot of pressure. Carse eventually got Salman out, but the damage was already done.
A Morning of Spin Domination
Sajid Khan kept tormenting England’s batsmen, taking three wickets in just 10 balls. England, starting day three on 239-6, aimed to close the gap on Pakistan’s 366. But Sajid and Noman Ali tore through the middle and lower order.
Carse looked uncomfortable before skying a catch to long-on. Potts fell in a bizarre way, somehow bowling himself through his legs. Jamie Smith, England’s last hope, miscued off Noman and was caught at long-off.
Leach and Bashir added 29 for the last wicket. But when Bashir’s wild swipe landed in the hands of mid-wicket, Sajid secured the best bowling figures ever on this ground. He also became the third-best by any Pakistani against England.
England’s collapse was stark—losing eight wickets for just 80 runs over two sessions—all to spin. In response, Pakistan’s openers faltered against Shoaib Bashir, whose off-spin strangled the hosts early on.
Abdullah Shafique’s faint tickle down the leg side was detected on review, giving Bashir his first wicket. Two left-handers, Shan Masood and Saim Ayub, edged to gully in quick succession. This left Pakistan on 43-3. Yet, England’s momentum evaporated with those missed catches.
Post-Match Reactions
England’s assistant coach, Paul Collingwood, reflected on the challenge ahead. He acknowledged the near-impossible task but held out hope for a remarkable turnaround: “We’ve done incredible things before, but we have to be realistic. It’s going to be tough.”
Salman Ali Agha, whose key innings kept Pakistan firmly in control, offered a simple yet effective mindset: “You can’t just defend; you’ve got to score runs, otherwise one ball will get you out.”
Former England bowler Steven Finn summed up the sense of deflation in England’s camp. He noted how the two dropped chances took the wind out of their sails: “Those were the moments that could have changed the game. Instead, England’s shoulders dropped, and now they face a mountain to climb.”
The outcome in Multan seems inevitable, but in cricket, hope flickers until the very last ball. England’s task is herculean, and while they have overcome great odds before, the Multan dust bowl may prove too steep a hill to conquer.
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