Pakistan left England in a tailspin on day two in Multan as Ben Duckett’s fine century was not enough to prevent the hosts from running amok in the second Test.
Having bowled out their hosts for 366 just after the lunch break, Duckett’s masterful display of sweeps earned him 114 runs and took his team to a formidable position of 211 for two.
England were scoring at a rapid pace and seemed to be dictating terms, but Pakistan’s pre-match gamble on a reused pitch was about to pay off as the tourists fell to 239 for six at the close.
Having loaded their attack with an army of spinners, Pakistan were simply waiting for a surface that was in its seventh consecutive day of Test cricket to start playing tricks. And when the time came, it came quickly.
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Joe Root, Duckett, Harry Brook and Ben Stokes fell in the space of 18 deliveries, easy targets as the track began to offer sumptuous assistance. The wickets of Root, Duckett and Brook went to Sajid Khan, who also removed Ollie Pope as he finished the day with four for 86.
Report from Simon Burnton from Multan will follow
