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England centurion Ben Duckett expects Pakistan’s pitch gamble to continue throwing up drama in the second Test, warning fellow batters “there’s a ball with your name on it”.
Duckett swept and reverse swept his way to a highly accomplished 114 on day two in Multan before the hosts took control during a dizzying 15-minute burst of activity that left England chasing the game.
At 211 for two, the tourists were looking to go past Pakistan’s 366 and build a handsome lead, but things changed drastically as Duckett, Joe Root, Harry Brook and Ben Stokes were all dismissed in the space of 18 deliveries.
Pre-match predictions that a worn wicket, hastily recycled after being used for last week’s series opener, would begin to cause mayhem were finally realised as the ball began to spin sharply off a dusty deck.
Sajid Khan’s clean-shaven head, meticulously shaped moustache and eye-popping celebrations made him a striking protagonist as he claimed four wickets to leave England on 239 for six.
A deficit of 127 at stumps looked a taxing one to overcome but Duckett believes the unusual conditions have introduced a rogue element to proceedings.
“It doesn’t feel like a pitch where you can sit on your defence for a long period of time. It feels like there’s a ball with your name on it,” he said.
“It did feel like it spun more this afternoon but it doesn’t seem a surprise saying that when it’s day seven (on the same pitch).
“The more the pitch gets used, it does crumble and goes through a bit more. I can’t see this pitch staying the same or not changing much, I think it’s going to continue to get worse. I’d be surprised if it doesn’t spin more and more.
“I think this game might move forward quite quickly in the next couple of days.”
Having lost an important toss, England know they will be batting last and are likely to get the worst of things but Duckett is ready for whatever awaits.
He said: “Certainly batting in that fourth innings is going to be tricky, but whatever the case is going in we’re going to look to be positive and chase it down. Obviously on that pitch, the fewer the better.”
Duckett’s optimism is understandable after his fourth Test century, which saw him deploy his wide array of sweep variations to outstanding effect. He had passed 70 four times since he last reached three figures against India in February and was pleased to convert one.
“It was relief more than anything. I’ve sat here and spoken about wanting to score hundreds and I’ve missed out on a few so it was nice to get over the line,” he said.
“I’ve felt really good for maybe six months to a year now but just haven’t converted those 70s and 80s. I was more proactive today, still looking to reverse-sweep on 99 and not going into my shell.
“I’ve got full backing from Baz McCullum and Stokesy to play the way I play. More often than not if you have that backing from the coach and captain you’ll go out and perform.”
