Pakistani batters forgot how to play, with the national team losing six players for just 152 runs by the end of the fourth day in their second innings. England now require four more wickets to secure victory.
In the match being played at Multan’s International Cricket Stadium, England resumed their first incomplete innings at 492 runs with 3 wickets down on the fourth day.
When England began their innings on the fourth day, Joe Root was on 176 and Harry Brook on 141. Both batters displayed excellent batting skills, dominating the Pakistani bowlers and piling on runs. They set a record partnership of 454 runs for the fourth wicket against Pakistan.
In response to Pakistan’s 556 runs, England declared their first innings at 823 runs for 7 wickets, gaining a lead of 267 runs.
Joe Root scored 262 runs before being trapped LBW by Salman Ali Agha, including 17 fours in his innings. Babar Azam dropped a straightforward catch off Naseem Shah when Root was batting on 186 runs.
Harry Brook played a remarkable innings of 317 runs, hitting 29 fours and 3 sixes. Jamie Smith scored 31, while Gus Atkinson was out for just 2 runs.
For Pakistan, Syed Ayub and Naseem Shah took two wickets each, while Shaheen Afridi, Salman Ali Agha, and Aamer Jamal each claimed one wicket.
Pakistan started their second innings but suffered an early blow when Abdullah Shafique was dismissed for a duck, followed by captain Shan Masood, who scored 11 runs before returning to the pavilion.
Former captain Babar Azam failed once again, scoring just 5 runs before being dismissed, while opener Syed Ayub managed only 25 runs, caught by Ben Duckett off Brydon Carse’s bowling.
National wicketkeeper-batsman Mohammad Rizwan also failed to make a significant impact, scoring just 10 runs off 19 balls before walking back, and Saud Shakeel succumbed at 29 runs.
For England, Gus Atkinson and Brydon Carse took two wickets each, while Chris Woakes and Jack Leach claimed one wicket apiece.
