Cricket

Pakistan's valiant efforts on day three of the second Test against England in Multan have set the stage for a thrilling finish. After conceding a 75-run first-innings lead, Pakistan's second innings looked in jeopardy at 156 for 8. However, a crucial 65-run partnership between Agha Salman (63) and Sajid Khan (22) rescued the hosts.Salman's gritty knock, which included 10 fours, and Khan's resolute contribution helped Pakistan post a respectable 221 in their second innings. This gave England a daunting target of 297 to win, the highest fourth-innings chase in Pakistan Test history.Before the crucial partnership, a light-hearted moment was captured on the stump microphone. After Noman Ali played a single off his hips, Salman inquired, "Did you play it?" Ali responded with a playful reference to cricket legend Brian Lara, saying, "Yes, just like Lara. Didn't you see it?"As the match resumed, England's openers Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett fell cheaply, leaving the visitors in a precarious position. Ollie Pope and Joe Root steadied the ship with an unbeaten 36-run stand, but England still face an uphill battle with 261 runs to chase on the final day.Pakistan's bowlers, led by Naseem Shah and Mohammad Ali, will be eager to exploit the conditions and secure a series-leveling victory. England, on the other hand, will need a monumental effort to pull off a historic chase and maintain their 1-0 series lead.

Michael Vaughan, the former England captain, has predicted that Pakistan may face another collapse in the second Test against England at Multan, similar to their embarrassing defeat in the first Test. Vaughan's comments came after Pakistan's spinner Sajid Khan pegged back England on Day 2, reducing them to 239 for 6 despite opener Ben Duckett's century.Vaughan believes that if England takes a first-innings lead, it could lead to a similar finish as the first Test, where Pakistan collapsed in the second innings. However, Pakistan is currently 127 runs behind at stumps on Day 2 with four wickets in hand, leaving open the possibility of them taking a first-innings lead and building on it.Vaughan's comments follow his earlier criticism of Pakistan's decision to drop Babar Azam from the Test squad, calling it a "stupid decision." However, Babar's replacement, Kamran Ghulam, proved Vaughan wrong by scoring a century on debut.Former Pakistan batsman Basit Ali responded to Vaughan's comments, saying that "Vaughan should be shown the picture of Kamran Ghulam."The second Test between Pakistan and England is poised for an exciting finish, with Pakistan needing to bat well in the second innings to avoid another collapse and level the series.

England's promising start in the second Test against Pakistan was abruptly halted by the brilliance of Sajid Khan, whose incisive off-spin triggered a rapid batting collapse. After reaching a comfortable position of 211/2, England lost four wickets for a mere 14 runs, leaving them reeling at 225/6 at the end of Day 2 in Multan.Sajid's exceptional bowling performance proved pivotal, seizing control for Pakistan at a crucial juncture. The collapse began with the dismissal of England's talisman, Joe Root, who had looked settled until Sajid deceived him with a well-flighted delivery. Root's attempted sweep resulted in an inside edge onto his boot, sending the ball rolling into the stumps.Sajid's next victim was Ben Duckett, who had earlier anchored the innings with a fluent 114. Despite surviving multiple close calls, Duckett eventually succumbed to Sajid's persistent pressure. An aggressive drive off a full-length delivery found a thick outside edge, which Agha Salman at first slip gratefully accepted.With Duckett's departure, England's batting order crumbled. Harry Brook was bowled trying to punch a spinning delivery off the back foot, misjudging the sharp turn and allowing the ball to crash through the gap between bat and pad.England's woes were compounded by Noman Ali, who dismissed captain Ben Stokes for a mere 1. Stokes failed to adjust to Noman's turn, edging a defensive push onto his pad, which Abdullah Shafique at short leg completed with an outstanding diving catch.From a position of strength at 211/2, England were now in deep trouble at 225/6, leaving Jamie Smith and Brydon Carse to steady the ship before stumps. However, the pair managed to stabilize the innings and guided England to 239/6 by the end of the day.Sajid Khan finished the day with figures of 4/86, his devastating spell turning the match on its head. With Pakistan's bowlers firing on all cylinders and England trailing by 127 runs, Day 3 promises to be a pivotal chapter in this thrilling Test series at Multan.