Spinners Shoaib Bashir and Jack Leach shared seven wickets to bowl Pakistan out for 221 on the third day of the second Test in Multan, setting England a target of 297 runs to win. Bashir finished with 4-66, while Leach took 3-67. Pakistan, lifted from a precarious 134-5, saw Salman Agha (63) and Sajid Khan (22) put together a 65-run ninth-wicket stand. Pakistan had made 366 in their first innings.
England’s Brydon Carse ended Salman’s innings in the 58th over and also took the key wicket of Mohammad Rizwan in the 31st over. Pakistan’s off-spinner Sajid Khan took 7-111, his second five-wicket haul, to bowl England out for 291 in their first innings on a pitch offering a sharp turn.
On this challenging track, England off-spinner Shoaib Bashir delivered crucial blows. England captain Ben Stokes started with spin from both ends due to the nature of the pitch, using Bashir alongside left-arm spinner Jack Leach. When Leach needed rest, part-time off-spinner Joe Root was brought in.
Bashir drew first blood, having Pakistan opener Abdullah Shafique caught behind for four. England successfully reviewed the not-out decision, confirming the faintest edge. Bashir then dismissed Shan Masood for 11, caught at second slip by Ollie Pope. Saim Ayub looked comfortable but fell to the same Pope-Bashir combination right before lunch.
After lunch, Saud Shakeel (10) and Mohammad Rizwan (0) were at the crease with Pakistan at 77-4 after Kamran Ghulam was dismissed for 26.
England had resumed their first innings on 239-6 and lost the remaining four wickets within the first hour, conceding a 75-run first-innings lead to Pakistan. Left-arm spinner Noman Ali claimed the last three wickets, with England losing all 10 to Pakistan’s spin-heavy attack, which featured Aamer Jamal as the lone seamer.
- Pakistan: Saim Ayub, Abdullah Shafique, Shan Masood (captain), Kamran Ghulam, Saud Shakeel (vice-captain), Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Salman Ali Agha, Aamir Jamal, Noman Ali, Sajid Khan, Zahid Mehmood
- England: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (captain), Jamie Smith (wk), Brydon Carse, Matt Potts, Jack Leach, Shoaib Bashir
This set the stage for a challenging chase for England on a spin-friendly pitch, highlighting the pivotal roles played by both teams’ spinners in this Test.
