England’s half-hour from hell derails hopes of first Test win in Pakistan as Ben Duckett suffers a suspected dislocated thumb after fielding woes allow hosts to pile on the runs

It was half an hour from hell – and the implications for England’s hopes of repeating their series victory here two years ago could be enormous.

Pakistan had continued after tea on the second day of this first Test when Ben Duckett suffered a suspected dislocated left thumb when he caught No. 11 Abrar Ahmed sliding off Joe Root’s faster ball.

England insisted a scan was not necessary, but the injury was quickly followed by insult. Starting in place of Duckett, a position he had never filled in his 108-match first-class career, Ollie Pope pulled his second delivery towards Midwicket and watched in disbelief as a diving Aamer Jamal extended his right hand. With the ball almost behind him, he somehow held on.

While the Pakistani fielders showered their men with bouquets, the England captain dragged himself away for a duck; the scoreboard read four for one in response to 556.

It was the stuff of nightmares. And to make matters worse, it was completely avoidable. Twice in the moments leading up to their double setback, England – tired and emotional after almost 150 overs in the dust and heat of Multan – had squandered simple chances to wrap up the innings.

First Jamie Smith missed a simple stump as Abrar Root attacked, his worst moment in seven Tests with gloves. Six balls later Gus Atkinson hashed a skyer at midwicket off the bowling of Jack Leach. The opportunity came over his shoulder, but it was the kind of catch he’s caught hundreds of times in practice.

If both opportunities had been taken, Duckett would not have been hurt and Pope would not have been opened. Instead, events played out like a vicious chain reaction, with chaos theory gone rogue.

It might even have been enough to test the positivity of head coach Brendon McCullum and captain Ben Stokes, both of whom watched from the relative peace of the Inzamam-ul-Haq Enclosure and possibly wondered how they could put a positive spin on this could give.

Was Pope unlucky? A little, but he had chosen to pull a ball that wasn’t quite there for the shot, and he had done it in the air, near a field player. His dismissal did nothing to dispel suggestions that he is a keen starter, or that his performances are too all-or-nothing for a top senior player. After all, this is his 50th Test.

Since taking over the captaincy from Stokes – whose rehabilitation from his hamstring injury continued with a 45-minute net session and three soft overs in the middle during the tea break – Pope’s scores have been 6, 6, 1, 17, 154, 7 and 0 .When he comes in, he becomes big. But failure becomes the norm, not the exception.

So it was a good thing that Zak Crawley was at his best on his return after missing Sri Lanka with a broken finger.

Two years ago, he had started the series with an 86-ball hundred in Rawalpindi. Now he advanced to a run-a-ball 64 with 11 nicely struck fours. While Root was still on 32 and needed another 39 to overtake Alastair Cook and become England’s leading Test run scorer, the scoreboard at stumps looked a healthier 96, at almost five per over.

But there’s still plenty to do if they want to get anything out of this game. Twice before in the Bazball era they have conceded more than 500 – and won both. However, this would be the biggest miracle yet, even on a pitch apparently designed for their unfettered stroke play.

England said last night they hoped Duckett’s injury would ‘lay to rest’, but the alternative did not need to be considered: Chris Woakes is already a place too high in seventh as England try to balance their squad in Stokes’ absence. No. 6 would be nosebleed area.

Earlier, Woakes had finished as his side’s most economical bowler – with a score of three per over – as 82 from Saud Shakil and an unbeaten century from Salman Agha helped convert Pakistan’s 328 for four to their highest total at home since they reached 579 in a defeat against England in Rawalpindi in December 2022.

The tone was set by nightwatchman Naseem Shah, who hit the spinners three sixes in his 33 before giving Harry Brook a catch at leg slip and the persistent Brydon Carse with his first Test wicket.

Leach got Mohammad Rizwan caught for a duck midway through the match, and at 393 for six, Pakistan were in danger of falling short. Shoaib Bashir, finding a better rhythm than on day one, had the left-handed Shakil caught at slip with a beauty delivery outside leg stump, and Carse trapped Jamal for seven.

England were confident Leach had dismissed Agha for 15, caught by Woakes as he stepped either side of the long-off boundary, before parrying the ball back into play to complete the catch. But TV referee Chris Gaffaney ruled that his back foot was still on the wrong side of the foam, and Pakistan were breathing again.

Carse later said England felt it was over, but there was certainly enough doubt to justify Gaffaney’s decision.

Agha later gave some tired legs the runaround during a ninth-wicket stand of 85 with Shaheen Shah Afridi, whose dismissal for 26 – bowled in an attempt to slog Leach – paved the way for England’s 30-minute disaster. There is a mountain you have to climb from here.