Crawley Steers England's Response After Salman's Century Solidifies Pakistan's Lead
England finds itself in a challenging position as they trail Pakistan by 460 runs, with a score of 96 for 1 in reply to Pakistan’s 556. Zak Crawley leads the charge with an unbeaten 64, supported by Joe Root on 32. The match took a turn when Ben Duckett was injured, and captain Ollie Pope fell for a duck after stepping up to open.
In Multan, Salman Agha became Pakistan’s third centurion, further establishing their dominance. After Duckett suffered a painful injury while taking a catch to dismiss Pakistan’s last batsman, England began their innings with Pope and Crawley at the crease. However, Pope’s stay was short-lived as he was dismissed for a duck, bringing Root in early to join Crawley.
Crawley, back in the lineup after missing the Sri Lanka series, quickly asserted himself. He began aggressively, hitting boundaries off both Shaheen Afridi and Naseem Shah, signaling England’s intent. He reached his half-century in just 55 balls, while Root settled in alongside him. Despite some early lbw appeals, Crawley and Root built a solid partnership of 92 runs, giving England a glimmer of hope as they head into the later stages of the innings, though Duckett’s availability remains uncertain.
