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England reach 36/2 at stumps on Day 3, chasing 297 to win the second Test against Pakistan

Dr_Bassim said:
Can Ollie Pope use the heavy roller tomorrow to flatten the pitch?
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It will make life easy for first one hour or so and then pitch will crumble hard. Good strategy for chasing 150 and just go hard, but lots of time and runs left.
 
Dr_Bassim said:
Without Babar entirely possible it can happen.

As long as Shaheen and Babar and Rizwan all leave the team, results will continue to improve.
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You can say what you want now and have your moment, but remember, I will have the last laugh here as well and you will eat your words one day.
 
Mamoon said:
You can say what you want now and have your moment, but remember, I will have the last laugh here as well and you will eat your words one day.
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I will make a wager with you.

If we can keep Babar, Shaheen and Rizwan out for the next 6 months, Pakistan will win 70 percent of their games.

But if all 3 return to side, Pakistan will lose 70 percent of their games.

Wanna bet?
 
Dr_Bassim said:
No matter what the result, kicking out Babar and Shaheen has massively shifted the fortunes of Pakistani team.

I hope in the off chance Pakistan do not get home, we continue to keep Babar and Shaheen out and focus on the positives of this team.

Rizwan is the probably remaining element that should be removed to complete the transformation.
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Wrong diagnosis as usual. It is the pitch not the players.
 
Dr_Bassim said:
I will make a wager with you.

If we can keep Babar, Shaheen and Rizwan out for the next 6 months, Pakistan will win 70 percent of their games.

But if all 3 return to side, Pakistan will lose 70 percent of their games.

Wanna bet?
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It is the pitch not the players. Pakistan will be a top 3/4 team with Babar, Shaheen and Rizwan if they continue to produce such pitches at home.
 
Salman Ali Agha spoke during a post-Day 3 interview:

“On this type of pitch, you always need to look for runs because a lot is happening. If you just try to defend, you’ll eventually get a ball that dismisses you. I tried to keep scoring runs, which also puts pressure on the other team. In that, you can achieve a lot. At one point, we were thinking of (a target of) 220, but we took it to almost 300.”

“When I played U19 and initially started FC cricket, I used to dominate spinners a lot (more). I think I’m still not as dominant (against spin) right now as I used to be then 4-5 years ago. If I could still do that, then I could do things a little differently. In domestic cricket and international cricket, you mostly face pacers, so I think after having faced so many, my spin game isn’t the same. In the Bangladesh series, I struggled against spinners, even though the pitches were grassy and didn't help spin.”

“We are in a good position right now. However, England is a team that doesn’t waste time in shifting momentum. We need to make sure we keep bowling in the right areas. Even if they make runs, we shouldn’t panic because that’s what they force the opposition to do by making runs (quickly). If we don’t panic, we will win this Test match.”
 
Mamoon said:
Wrong diagnosis as usual. It is the pitch not the players.
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Mamoon said:
It is the pitch not the players. Pakistan will be a top 3/4 team with Babar, Shaheen and Rizwan if they continue to produce such pitches at home.
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Completely disagree.

A batsmen who averages less than 20 in last 2 years and "plays politics" in the team has NO influence on the team results?

A batsmen who bats for himself and averages 40 but goes missing EVERYTIME the heat is on has NO influence on team results.

A spinner who pretends to be a fast bowler bowling pies at 128 km/h has NO influence on the result?

If they have NO influence on the result why are they in the team?

Occams Razor.

As simple as that.
 
Paul Collingwood during press conference post Day 3:

“It’s unusual. I’ve not come across it in Test cricket before that you’ve played on the same pitch."

"I guess Pakistan, in many ways, have taken a risk on winning the toss, which they have done in this Test. We have to find a way tomorrow to somehow knock 260 runs off on a wicket that has got plenty of cracks and assistance.”
 
Nikhil_cric said:
Would be risky. Although they did use the heavy roller this morning.

They might use the light roller.
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They were 6 down so I can see the logic of having good pitch to bat for 1 hour or so before crumbling.

I don't think it will make sense for them to use heavy with more than 250 runs left.
 
FearlessRoar said:
Paul Collingwood during press conference post Day 3:

“It’s unusual. I’ve not come across it in Test cricket before that you’ve played on the same pitch."

"I guess Pakistan, in many ways, have taken a risk on winning the toss, which they have done in this Test. We have to find a way tomorrow to somehow knock 260 runs off on a wicket that has got plenty of cracks and assistance.”
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yes, it's unusual but made the test fun to watch. No one wants to watch teams scoring 800 runs.
 
Buffet said:
They were 6 down so I can see the logic of having good pitch to bat for 1 hour or so before crumbling.

I don't think it will make sense for them to use heavy with more than 250 runs left.
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Pitches don't crumble in Pakistan the way they do in India so it's a tough choice.

However, I do think England are a better side when there is some pace in the surface so a light roller may be better.
 
Nikhil_cric said:
Pitches don't crumble in Pakistan the way they do in India so it's a tough choice.

However, I do think England are a better side when there is some pace in the surface so a light roller may be better.
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Yah, that's a fair point. Over all using a light roller is a better option for Eng.
 
Noman Ali during press conference Post-Day 3 of 2nd Test Pakistan and England:

Pitch Surface for Spin Bowling:

"As it was the 3rd day of the match, the surface was set, and the ball started turning from the middle as well. Yesterday, when we bowled in the rough areas, the ball was turning from there too. We will try to utilize this situation, restrict them from chasing the target, and InshaAllah, we aim to bowl them out."

Fitness and Preparation:

"I went to Australia for the Test series, but unfortunately, I had to undergo appendix surgery. As for the Bangladesh series, based on the conditions, spinners were less required, and the board explained to me why I wasn’t selected.

However, I always keep myself well-prepared. During this gap from international cricket, I worked hard and trained a lot at Ghani Institute with Coach Rehan Riaz, who is also the NCA Coach. I did continuous training with him for four months, which helped me a lot. I made some technical adjustments, and I’ve been waiting for an opportunity. Now that I’ve got this opportunity, Inshallah, I will do my best to bowl them out tomorrow."

"Soon, the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy is starting, so I’ll be playing there to keep myself fit and prepared for the next Test cricket series."

Focus on Batting:

"For batting, I always try to play according to the team’s plan. The runs I scored in the first innings were vital, and MashaAllah, they helped us gain a lead of 75 runs. I take my batting seriously, and my role in the team also includes contributing with the bat. I always try to contribute well for the team."

Home Surface Advantage:

"If you’re playing in Asian conditions against non-Asian teams, I believe we can use these conditions to our advantage. They are also struggling on this pitch, and we are doing our best to get the results in our favor."
 

Sajid and Salman shine on a productive day for Pakistan​


Sajid Khan and Noman Ali snapped the England openers late on day three as the visitors require 261 more runs to win the second Test match in Multan, finishing with 36-2 in 11 overs in pursuit of the 297-run target at the Multan Cricket Stadium on Thursday.

Ben Duckett (two-ball duck) and Zak Crawley (3, 8b), were the batters dismissed in the last hour of the day to leave England reeling at 11-2 before Joe Root (12 not out, 26b, 1x4) and Ollie Pope (21 not out, 30b, 2x4s) took their team to the close of play unscathed.

At the start of an eventful day, Pakistan took the remaining four England wickets for just 52 runs, when they resumed from their overnight score of 239-6 in 53 overs.

Sajid finished with figures of 7-111 in 26.2 overs, his second Test five-wicket haul and the best bowling figures in an innings at the venue. He was backed up by Noman, who bagged three wickets for 101 runs in 28 overs.

After wrapping up England’s first innings in 67.2 overs for 291, Pakistan built on their first-innings lead of 75 to post 221 all out in 59.2 overs, setting England 297 runs to win the Test and the three-match series.

Salman Ali Agha, batting at N0.7, contributed with a valuable 63 off 89 balls hitting five fours and one six after having walked in to bat at 114-5. Salman and Sajid (22, 43b, 1x4) came together when Pakistan were struggling at 156-8 with 231 runs ahead, the duo put on a vital 65-run ninth-wicket stand to propel their team to a formidable lead nearing 300.

England struck at regular intervals to dent Pakistan’s progress in the second innings but useful middle-order contributions from Saud Shakeel (31, 51b, 2x4s), Kamran Ghulam (26, 39b, 5x4s) and Mohammad Rizwan (23, 43b, 2x4s) made sure to keep the scoreboard ticking.

Shoaib Bashir was the pick of England’s bowlers as he bagged 4-66 in 19 overs while Jack Leach picked up three wickets. Brydon Carse dismissed two batters while Matthew Potts accounted for one wicket.

Scores in brief

Second Test – Day 3 of 5 – England require 261 runs to win with eight wickets remaining

Pakistan 366 all out, (Kamran Ghulam 118, Saim Ayub 77, Mohammad Rizwan 41, Aamir Jamal 37, Noman Ali 32, Salman Ali Agha 31; Jack Leach 4-114, Brydon Carse 3-50, Matthew Potts 2-66) and 221 all out, 59.2 overs (Salman Ali Agha 63, Saud Shakeel 31, Kamran Ghulam 26; Shoaib Bashir 4-66, Jack Leach 3-67, Brydon Carse 2-29)

England 291 all out, 67.2 overs (Ben Duckett 114, Joe Root 34, Ollie Pope 29, Zak Crawley 27, Jack Leach 25 not out; Sajid Khan 7-111, Noman Ali 3-101) & 36-2, 11 overs (Ollie Pope 21 not out, Joe Root 12 not out; Noman Ali 1-9, Sajid Khan 1-27)
 
Smart field placings, keep it tight and the game will be over before tea.

Michael Vaughan last week, this Pakistan team is the worst he's ever seen, next match beat England lol.
 
Sky Sports' Mike Atherton on the size of England's challenge:

"Pakistan have manoeuvred themselves into a very strong position.

England will need their highest ever run chase in Asia, and will need more runs than any side has ever managed in a fourth innings in Pakistan, apart from a very strong Australian side.

That's a measure of the task in front of England. They showed tonight by not sending out a night watchman and that final shot from Joe Root that they're going to have a crack at it, and you wouldn't expect anything less from a side led by Ben Stokes.

There's a lot of belief in that side, but it is an extremely tough challenge. They won't shirk it."
 
Buffet said:
They have not done it when pitch is doing something or against good bowlers outside Eng. Too much hype of Bazzball, it works fine for them on super roads or at home. I would have liked to see more fielders surrounding them in the last 5-6 overs.

Only way Eng will get these runs if Pakistan stop having faith in them and not surrounding batsmen in the last 5-6 overs was not good to see. I can understand doing it some other time, but it was perfect oppurtunity to apply more pressure.
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Absolutely we can't be timid and let the game drift. Before Sajid's onslaught in the 2nd innings england were just knocking it into gaps they had created by being aggressive earlier. Can't have everyone on the fence for excessively long periods if they get going tomorrow.
 
England assistant coach Paul Collingwood Post-Day 3 interview said:

"The nature of this pitch, because it's so slow, it means the keepers and the slips need to be so, so close... and any chance is a difficult chance.

Out of the ones Jamie Smith has taken, you'd probably say that was the easiest, but it can happen. It's so unnatural to be standing so close.

"Nobody wants to drop catches, but at least the guys are brave enough to come closer to the stumps to give themselves a chance in the first place.

We've got to be realistic. It's going to be difficult tomorrow - with the amount of cracks on the pitch.

It will be one hell of an effort if we can [win]. But there's belief in the dressing room, it's as simple as that.

We have done some special things in the past, broken records, but we've got to be realistic that it will be a tough, tough chase."
 
Sky Sports' Nasser Hussain:

"It's fascinating. An absolutely brilliant day of Test match cricket - the last two days have been incredibly watchable.

It's not an uneven contest between bat and ball... they've not gone too far the other way - as you can see from the runs that have been scored, by Salman Agha down the order.

It can't be that much of a minefield, so England still have a chance.

Root is a key wicket. My only concern is Stokes and him being out of rhythm with his batting, having not batted for so long... but this is made for him. He loves this sort of run-chase."
 
Pakistan for once have kept England's run rate in check.

Key tomorrow get early wickets and field well. Don't let England built any momentum in inns
 
mominsaigol said:
Mate, People even want kamran Ghulam out cause he's threatening Babar.

The lobby for Misbah fans is very very strong, and the reason they wanted sajid out was due to him threatening chacha. Samajho, that some of the people you interact with Including the general major who makes nonsense posts don't have the interest of Pakistan in mind.

Just look at the comments, They've gone super calculus mode to determine why KG is weak against pace but apprantly Babar and rizwan are pak's best batters even though I did a proper analysis.

Babar vs Spin and Rizwan vs Seam are useless. They struggle far far more then KG does. But obviously they ain't gonna admit this fact cause it means Misbah is a crook and they can't attack their hero
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LoL, on fans thinking how will Babar replace Kamran Ghulam.
It is not Kamran who Babar will replace. But a certain batter that averages below 30. If Babar can go for not scoring what about the walking wicket Masood ?
 
Croma said:
Ghulam, Noman and Sajid. All three have come good this test. Wow! Selector's dream
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Yes, selectors must be happy. But this has more to do with the pitch. Pakistan has finally prepared a turning pitch and at last Pakistan has decided not to please the touring side, because we are desperate. And there is nothing wrong with that it is called home advantage. It is same as England making a seaming pitch and Australia making a bouncy track. Pak should not be critical of India making spinning pitches but should be doing the same. Learn from the successful.
 
cricketAXEpert said:
Yes, selectors must be happy. But this has more to do with the pitch. Pakistan has finally prepared a turning pitch and at last Pakistan has decided not to please the touring side, because we are desperate. And there is nothing wrong with that it is called home advantage. It is same as England making a seaming pitch and Australia making a bouncy track. Pak should not be critical of India making spinning pitches but should be doing the same. Learn from the successful.
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Only fans of dropped players would say that this has more to do with pitch.

Ghulam scored century on difficult pitch whereas those who were dropped were not able to do it on flat roads.
 
Mamoon said:
Wrong diagnosis as usual. It is the pitch not the players.
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Ofcourse it is the pitch, but the pitch is correlated to the players outsted.
Pak probably would not have prepared the pitch with Babar Shaheen and Naseem in the team.

Wrong diagnosis....
 
The lads have done everything right so far its all about turning the screw and finishing off the job.

No complacency.

Shan needs to refine his tactics out tonight with Dizzy and co.

Rotate the bowlers so that England don't settle.

This Test match is there for the taking lads.
 
Pakistan all-rounder Salman Agha and spinner Noman Ali shared a lively moment during the second inning

Agha was heard on the stump mic asking Noman Ali, “Did you play it deliberately?”

It was Ali’s brilliant response to the question that has gone viral on social media as he told the Pakistan all-rounder, “Yes…I played it just like [Brian] Lara.”

Video: PCB

https://imgur.com/ktSPrsc
 
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Am not happy with the pitch. A pitch should give a decent chance to both teams ie good pace, bounce, new ball swing, seam, old ball reverse swing and spin for the spinners and batters enjoy the pace, bounce of the wicket to play their shots.

Old Trafford is the pitch which comes to mind with all of the above.
 
cricketAXEpert said:
LoL, on fans thinking how will Babar replace Kamran Ghulam.
It is not Kamran who Babar will replace. But a certain batter that averages below 30. If Babar can go for not scoring what about the walking wicket Masood ?
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Their actual red ball players in cricket looking to replace Shan.

Babar must play red ball first
 
FearlessRoar said:
Paul Collingwood during press conference post Day 3:

“It’s unusual. I’ve not come across it in Test cricket before that you’ve played on the same pitch."

"I guess Pakistan, in many ways, have taken a risk on winning the toss, which they have done in this Test. We have to find a way tomorrow to somehow knock 260 runs off on a wicket that has got plenty of cracks and assistance.”
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Death, taxes and English boyz crying about the pitch
 
What if Eng chase it, Pakistan and Shan will be crestfallen so better not fumble
 

'Win would be better than records of first Test'​


Completing a daunting chase to win the second Test in Pakistan would be a bigger achievement that the run-filled victory in the first, according to England assistant coach Paul Collingwood.

The tourists broke a host of records in taking the first Test by an innings, including posting 823-7 declared, their highest total since 1938.

They have been set 297 to win the second Test and a successful pursuit would comfortably be their highest chase to win a Test in Asia.

On a dusty surface in Multan, re-used from the first match and therefore in its eighth day of action, England ended the third day of the second Test on 36-2.

"We’ll still have that belief," said Collingwood. "We know it’s going to be tough and we’ve got to be realistic, but we’ll find ways to put them under pressure."

If England do pull off the chase, it would also be their joint third-highest in an overseas Test and the best by any visiting team in Pakistan.

After giving up a first-innings deficit of 75 runs, England eventually dismissed Pakistan for 221 on the third day.

They were given 11 overs to bat before the close, only to lose openers Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley.

Under coach Brendon McCullum and captain Ben Stokes, England have created a reputation for overhauling targets.

Asked if a win in this match would outstrip the success of last week, former England all-rounder Collingwood said: "It would, under the circumstances and conditions we’ve been given this time.

"There’s still hope, and there’s only hope because of the amazing things these guys have done in the past."

England’s target would have been more manageable had it not been for some crucial dropped catches in the afternoon session.

Salman Agha was put down on four and six by wicketkeeper Jamie Smith and first-slip Joe Root respectively, both in the same Brydon Carse over. Had one of the chances been taken, Pakistan would have been six wickets down with their lead still below 200.

In the case of 24-year-old Smith, it was probably his worst error with the gloves in eight Tests since making his debut in July.

"I’m sure he’ll be disappointed but he certainly doesn’t show it," said Collingwood. "He never seems to change his demeanour, no matter what’s happening, which to me is a great trait.

"It’s been amazing to have someone so level-headed, it feels like he’s been around for years."

Salman went on to make 63, adding 65 for the ninth wicket with Sajid Khan. It was off-spinner Sajid, following seven wickets in England’s first innings, who struck first to remove Duckett in the second, before Crawley was stumped off Noman Ali.

"We are ahead of the game, there’s no doubt about that, but we all know England can put the momentum very quickly to their side," Salman told Test Match Special. "We need be aware of that and we need to be doing the good things we’re doing.

"We were looking for anything around 200, 200-plus, but me and Sajid put up a great partnership.

"We wanted at least one wicket, but to get both openers is why I am saying we are ahead of the game. We should win from here but we have to do good things consistently."

www.bbc.com

Pakistan vs England: Paul Collingwood says tourists winning second Test would be better than first

Completing a daunting chase to win the second Test in Pakistan would be a bigger achievement that the run-filled victory in the first, according to England assistant coach Paul Collingwood.
www.bbc.com
 
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Straightforward win for Pakistan. The toss was super important, but they’ve also played the better cricket in this match, and England have made too many mistakes in the field.

Although I do suspect that we will be back to a flat bore pitch in the 3rd Test.
 
James said:
Straightforward win for Pakistan. The toss was super important, but they’ve also played the better cricket in this match, and England have made too many mistakes in the field.

Although I do suspect that we will be back to a flat bore pitch in the 3rd Test.
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I don't remember seeing a rank turner in Pindi. It will either be flat or seam friendly. Most likely flat. But I suspect Pakistan have been on it working on the pitch trying to dry and crack it up.
 
england will try to score runs quickly on this wicket and will keep losing wickets... they have to hold their horses if they want to win this game.
 
kumjsr said:
Only fans of dropped players would say that this has more to do with pitch.

Ghulam scored century on difficult pitch whereas those who were dropped were not able to do it on flat roads.
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I have been consistently asking for Kamran Ghulam's inclusion in place of Shan Masood (who averages below 30 and does not merit a place in the squad). Kamran Ghulam should have been in the side 4 years ago, it is a waste, nepotism and height of negligence that Kamran is making his debut at age 29 while someone like Shan Masood keeps getting selected. Not just Kamran who should be a regular but also Huraira should be regular in test matches. Huraira is far better than Saim Ayub.

Not making a spinning pitch was PCB's fault. Shaheen hasn't been the same bowler since he returned from injury (so Shaheen deserved to be benched). Babar is out of form and will be back. Pace attack for South Africa should be Khurram Shahzad, Naseem Shah, Mohd Abbas and Aamer Jamal.
 
Mamoon said:
It is the pitch not the players. These are the pitches that we need to prepare at home. If we do it consistently for a couple of years, Pakistan will be a top 3/4 team.
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some part of this is right but i think babar and shaheen were in negative mind and approach and something about them was off so that too translates into team looking dull
 
shamaan said:
I think they will play thier shots whichever way the field is set especially when Brook and Stokes come In.
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no real threat from Stokes as he doesn't perform well on spinning tracks.

Only Brook's wicket is important here as he plays spin better than any other player.
 
RahulBose said:
Ofcourse it is the pitch, but the pitch is correlated to the players outsted.
Pak probably would not have prepared the pitch with Babar Shaheen and Naseem in the team.

Wrong diagnosis....
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Not true. Pakistan can produce the same pitch with Babar playing instead of Masood and Shaheen playing as the lone pacer. I don’t like Naseem anyway so happy to see his Test career terminated for good.

Shafique/Huraira
Saim/Imam
KG
Babar
Saud
Rizwan
Agha
Jamal/another spinner
Shaheen
Noman
Sajid

I like this team in home conditions. If you prepare pitches with spin, this can proper Pakistan to a very respectable standing in Test cricket and make them a competitive force vs any team that tours Pakistan.
 
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