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The third day of the second Test between Pakistan and England in Multan witnessed a dramatic shift in momentum, with Pakistan firmly establishing their dominance and putting themselves in a strong position to level the series. The day was characterized by relentless spin bowling, uneven bounce, and reverse swing, creating a challenging pitch for the batsmen and setting the stage for a thrilling conclusion.
The day began with Sajid Khan continuing his stellar performance, adding three more wickets to his overnight tally and ending with a remarkable seven-wicket haul to dismiss England for 291 runs. This gave Pakistan a valuable 75-run lead, overcoming a frustrating 29-run last-wicket stand between Shoaib Bashir and Jack Leach. Noman Ali also played a crucial role, securing the vital wicket of Jamie Smith and contributing three wickets to the total.
In their second innings, Pakistan extended their lead to 118 runs in the morning session but lost three wickets in the process. England, opting for a spin attack from both ends, found success with Shoaib Bashir, who dismissed Abdullah Shafique and Shan Masood. Bashir's third wicket came with the final ball before lunch, removing Saim Ayub and putting England back in contention.
The second session saw Pakistan add 91 runs for the loss of two wickets, one of which was Mohammad Rizwan, dismissed for 23 by Brydon Carse, who was running in with a dodgy left leg. Carse, now having dismissed Rizwan in three consecutive innings, added this dismissal to his tally. However, Agha Salman, who was dropped twice in the same over by Jamie Smith and Joe Root, emerged as a crucial figure, taking the attack to England and adding 65 runs for the ninth wicket with Hasan Ali. This partnership helped Pakistan set a challenging target of 297 runs for England.
England's chase got off to the worst possible start, with Ben Duckett, the centurion from the first innings, falling for a two-ball duck to Sajid Khan. The very sweep shot that had brought him success in the first innings proved his undoing this time, the extra bounce from the new ball making the shot difficult to control on this pitch. Noman Ali soon added to England's woes by having Zak Crawley stumped, leaving them at 11/2, struggling to score runs on a pitch that had become increasingly difficult for batting.
Joe Root and Ollie Pope steadied the ship and will be crucial for England's chances of survival on the fourth and final day of the Test. However, with Pakistan firmly in control, the pressure remains on England to bat with resilience and patience, while Pakistan looks set to capitalize on their advantage and secure a crucial victory in the series.
Source: Sajid, Salman put Pakistan in pole position to achieve series parity