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 the half-hour from hell – and the repercussions for England’s hopes of repeating their series win here two years ago could be huge.

Pakistan had batted on after tea on the second day of this first Test when Ben Duckett suffered a suspected dislocated left thumb catching No 11 Abrar Ahmed at slip off Joe Root’s quicker ball.

England insisted there was no need for a scan, but injury was quickly followed by insult. Opening in Duckett’s place, 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 stuck out his right hand. With the ball almost behind him, he somehow held on.

As Pakistan’s fielders showered their man with bouquets, the England captain dragged himself off for a duck, the scoreboard reading four for one in reply to 556.

It was the stuff of nightmares. And, to make matters worse, it was entirely avoidable. Twice in the moments leading up to their double misfortune, England – tired and emotional after nearly 150 overs in Multan’s dust and heat – had fluffed simple chances to wrap up the innings.

Shaheen Shah Afridi was bowled by Jack Leach, who took three wickets for 160 runs in the first innings 

Ben Duckett suffered a suspected dislocated left thumb catching No 11 Abrar Ahmed

First Jamie Smith missed a straightforward stumping as Abrar charged at Root, his worst moment in seven Tests with the gloves. Six balls later, Gus Atkinson made a hash of a skyer at midwicket off the bowling of Jack Leach. The chance came over his shoulder, but it was the kind of catch he has held hundreds of times in practice.

Had either opportunity been taken, Duckett would not have been injured, and Pope would not have opened. Instead, the events played out like some malevolent chain reaction, chaos theory gone rogue.

It might even have been enough to test the positivity of head coach Brendon McCullum and captain Ben Stokes, both looking on from the relative calm of the Inzamam-ul-Haq Enclosure, and possibly wondering how to put a positive spin on this one.

Was Pope unlucky? A little, but he had chosen to pull a ball that was not quite there for the shot, and he had done so in the air near a fielder. His dismissal did nothing to counter the suggestion that he is a frantic starter, or that his output is too all-or-nothing for a senior top-order player. This, after all, is his 50th Test.

Since assuming the captaincy from Stokes – whose rehab from his hamstring injury continued with a 45-minute net session and three gentle overs out in the middle during the tea break – Pope’s scores have been 6, 6, 1, 17, 154, 7 and 0. When he gets in, he goes big. But failure is becoming the norm, not the exception.

It was a good job, then, that Zak Crawley was at his fluent best on his return after missing the Sri Lanka with a broken finger.

The England captain Ollie Pope was dismissed for duck as they visitors faced a mammoth 556 total

Naseem Shah celebrated with teammates after taking the wicket of England skipper

Two years ago, he had got the series going with an 86-ball hundred at Rawalpindi. Now he moved to a run-a-ball 64 that included 11 sweetly struck fours. With Root still there on 32, needing another 39 to overtake Alastair Cook and become England’s leading Test run-scorer, the scoreboard at stumps looked a healthier 96 for one, made at nearly five an over.

But there is still plenty to do if they are to get anything out of this game. Twice before in the Bazball era they have conceded over 500 – and won both. This, though, would be the biggest miracle yet, even on a pitch apparently designed for their unfettered strokeplay.

England said last night they were hopeful Duckett’s injury would ‘settle down’, but the alternative did not bear thinking about: Chris Woakes is already a place too high at No 7 as England try to balance their side in Stokes’s absence. No 6 would be nosebleed territory.

Earlier, Woakes had finished as his side’s most economical bowler – going at three an over – as 82 from Saud Shakil and an unbeaten century from Salman Agha helped turn Pakistan’s overnight 328 for four into their biggest total at home since they made 579 in defeat by England at Rawalpindi in December 2022.

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

Leach soon had Mohammad Rizwan caught at mid-off for a duck, and at 393 for six Pakistan were in danger of falling short. Shoaib Bashir, who found a better rhythm than on the first day, had the left-handed Shakil caught at slip with a beauty that pitched outside leg stump, and Carse pinned Jamal for seven.

Zak Crawley impressed on his return from a broken finger and scored 64 runs from just 64 balls

Crawley and Joe Root partnered to improve England’s prospects. Root ended the day just 39 runs behind Alastair Cook’s Test run record

England were convinced Leach had got rid of Agha for 15, caught by Woakes as he stepped either side of the long-off boundary, before parrying the ball back in play to complete the catch. But TV umpire Chris Gaffaney ruled that his back foot was still grounded on the wrong side of the foam, and Pakistan breathed again.

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

Agha later gave some weary legs the runaround during a ninth-wicket stand of 85 with Shaheen Shah Afridi, whose dismissal for 26 – bowled trying to slog-sweep Leach – paved the way for England’s 30 minutes of calamity. There is a mountain to climb from here.