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Joe Root looks for a golden duck as England battle to cope with Pakistani spinners early on the second day of the final Test in Karachi… but a half-century from Ollie Pope and a brilliant strike from Harry Brook help Ben Stokes’ side to recover. at 140-4
- Pakistan took control of the first test against England on the morning of day two
- Spinners Abrar Ahmed and Nauman Ali took two wickets for the hosts
- Joe Root dropped the first ball to continue his difficult tour of Ben Stokes’ team
- Ollie Pope and Harry Brook resisted the pressure to impress again with the bat
England stumbled upon Pakistan’s spinners on the second morning of the third and final Test in Karachi, with Joe Root among the casualties for a golden duck.
By lunch they had recovered slightly to 140 for four, thanks in part to a skillful half-century from Ollie Pope, his third score of 50 or more in five innings in this series, and another brilliant strike from Harry Brook.
But Pope was brought down by an unplayable pitch from Abrar Ahmed who bowled into the leg stump and struck before he could understand what was happening, and England appreciated the class of Brook, who bowled Abrar for two straight sixes and He entered at the break of 38.
Pakistan’s spinners impressed on the second morning of the final test match in Karachi
Ollie Pope (left) scored 50 for the visitors, but fell out soon after when Ben Stokes’ side struggled.
With him, 25, is Ben Stokes. England trail by 164 on a pitch that has continued to help slow bowlers.
Earlier, left-arm spinner Nauman Ali, in his first game of the series, found himself in a hat-trick after catching Ben Duckett in the leg before 26, then persuaded Root to slide to the left of Agha Salman when he failed. deal with a ball that spun and bounced.
It was Root’s first golden duck in the Tests since the 2019 Ashes, and it leaves him with 125 runs in this series at 25, a performance out of step not only with his own expectations, but also with the success of his teammates. equipment.
Joe Root (right) fell in love with a golden duck, his first since 2019, as he continued his difficult tour.
Since starring against New Zealand and India in the summer, Root has made 171 runs at 19 against South Africa and here in Pakistan. He’ll be back, but for now his year is ending on an anticlimax.
Duckett and Pope had batted very well through the first 10 overs of the day, taking 19 of Mohammad Wasim’s first two overs in Test cricket, then reaching 50 thanks to six rushing from Duckett off Abrar.
But Duckett got caught in the crease by Nauman. He called for a review, but DRS had the point of impact off the stump as the referee’s decision.
The young Harry Brook provided a solid foundation once again in England’s mid-order.
Stokes (right) was absent from Brook at lunch as England tried to rebuild their innings.
As Root came and went in a flash, making it 58 for three, Pakistan were jubilant, but Brook eased the hat-trick ball into deep spot for a single, and immediately rediscovered the touch that had brought him centuries at Rawalpindi and Fine.
After Pope’s death, which left England 98 for four, Stokes batted as we’d expect: without a care in the world. He used his feet to lift Wasim over cover for four more, then hit Nauman around the opposite side for four more.
However, perhaps the morning shot came when Brook gave himself space off the stump of his leg to help Wasim through the sheets. At lunch England had added 133 in the session and lived up to their continued commitment to entertain, entertain, entertain.