Pakistan 556 and 152 for 6 (Salman 41*, Atkinson 2-28) trail England 823 for 7 dec (Brook 317, Root 262, Duckett 84, Crawley 78) by 115 runs
It was a day four that England had dreamed of and Pakistan feared, and one this docile Multan pitch probably did not deserve. A first Test that was drifting towards nothingness has now been flipped in favour of the tourists, who are on the cusp of another famous win in these parts.
It needed an effort like that to put Root in the shade as he notched a sixth Test double-century; only Wally Hammond (7) has more for England. Root had been batting since the evening of day two, when Ollie Pope’s dismissal brought him to the crease at 4 for 1. By the time Root was dismissed, departing with the score 703 for 4, England leading by 147, he had spent just eight deliveries of the 285.1 overs of the match off the field. After battling cramp on day three, he deserved more than 14.5 overs in the sheds before the declaration came, but will take solace in the fact there should be some extra rest time on day five.
Brook remained on 260, having breezed past his previous highest Test score of 186 against New Zealand at Wellington in 2023, and a standout first-class knock of 194 – against Kent in 2022. A maiden red-ball double was confirmed with a straightforward single from his 245th delivery.
After 118 deliveries to get to 100, then 127 more to get to 200, the next stage required just 65, featuring 10 fours and two sixes. The first of those lusty hits was straight and true off Salman, the second a charge and thwack over extra cover off Naseem, which took him to within 10 of that triple.
There was no sign of anxiety in the “nervous 290s”, with the hunt for quick runs ahead of the declaration aided by a neat cameo from Jamie Smith, as part of a broader 41-ball stand of 79 for the fifth wicket. A clubbed back-foot shot to the straight boundary – his 31st overall – off part-time legspinner Saim Ayub took him to the promised land.
Pakistan’s fielders lined up to congratulate him, no doubt pleased to finally see the back of a batter who now has more Test runs in their country than his own (785 to 761). Brook was the middle of three wickets to fall in 20 deliveries for as many runs, before Brydon Carse – who struck his second ball in Test cricket for six over long-off to bring up the 800 – joined Chris Woakes for a cursory stand of 24, at which point stand-in captain Ollie Pope called the team in with a lead of 267.
It felt, at the time, like a mercy to the hosts, who were nursing the highest total they had conceded in an innings, with six bowlers conceding 100 runs or more for only the second time in Test history. But more pain was in the offing.
A six-over period before tea started horrifically, as Woakes found some necessary shape through the air and off the pitch to take out Shafique’s off stump. And though Woakes would go on to drop Shan Masood, leaping at mid-off, then see a similarly tough chance missed off his bowling by Gus Atkinson at cover, amends would be made at the start of the evening session.
Atkinson finally snared Masood, as the Pakistan skipper offered a tame catch to Zak Crawley, one of two catching midwickets. The Surrey quick then got a length ball in the off stump channel to leave a beleaguered Babar Azam edging through to Smith.
It was then Carse’s turn to punch a few more holes in the batting line-up, though he owes Ayub credit for handing him an easy one with his first ball of the second innings. The left-hander’s attempt to clear cover after being served up a short, wide loosener was an aberration, even if it required a superb take from Ben Duckett, over his shoulder, sprinting back from mid-off. It spoke of the fact the real demons were in Pakistan’s tired minds rather than under foot.
That would be the worst ball bowled by Carse, arguably the pick of the seamers, hitting the pitch hard and getting extravagant movement into the right-handers through the air, while operating in the mid-to-late 80s mph. A delivery showcasing all of those traits knocked back Mohammad Rizwan’s middle stump to give the debutant quick figures of 2 for 39 from his 10 overs so far.
Pope captained smartly, not just with his field positions, but the way he rotated the quicks. And he was due credit when Jack Leach removed Saud Shakeel caught behind off the left-arm spinner’s second delivery, having replaced Carse.
That would be the final wicket to fall, though England should have had another when Aamer Jamal, on 12, top-edged a pull shot off Carse that was spilled by Shoaib Bashir at deep backward square leg. Jamal built on the reprieve to accompany Salman Agha, whose 41 restored some order to proceedings. Even it has only delayed another humbling defeat by a day.
Vithushan Ehantharajah is an associate editor at ESPNcricinfo
