PAK vs ENG: Ben Duckett dislocates thumb, England forced into immediate batting change

The subcontinent has recently been experiencing a surge in Test cricket. As a result, injuries are an inherent element of the game, just like the action on the pitch. Ben Duckett, the first opener for England, gave the visitors a major shock in the opening-match between Pakistan and England, which is now taking place in Multan.

Notably, the hosts amassed an incredible 556 runs in their opening innings, adding to the anguish of the English bowling assault. In an attempt to end the bowlers’ one-and-a-half-day struggle, Captain Ollie Pope gave the ball to Joe Root, the team’s “golden arm,” in an attempt to seal the deal as quickly as possible for the hosts. The English team was successful in their tactic when Root hit a short ball to Abrab Ahmed. The batter, taken off guard, ended up cutting a close call to Ben Duckett, the lone fielder positioned in the slips.

Without missing an opportunity to finish a catch and send the tailender packing, the energetic English batter seized on it. But Duckett paid a heavy price for this since the second the ball became lodged in his bucket-like hands, he was in excruciating pain. He did not hesitate to wave his hand in the direction of the English medical personnel in response. It turned out that his left thumb took the full force of the ball’s hit, despite the fact that he was seen clutching his left wrist.

Notably, this incident made the visitors’ already dire injury situation worse because Ben Stokes is already recovering from an injury. In addition, Mark Wood‘s stress fracture not too long ago disqualified him from the series. Ollie Pope was consequently made to begin the batting against Duckett. But things worsened when he failed to get going and was removed thanks to a breathtaking catch that the youthful Aamer Jamal made out of thin air. Pope attempted to use a pull shot to slam the ball towards the boundary, but the Pakistani speedster’s outstanding fielding left him speechless.

Reports that Duckett did not play for England because his thumb was totally dislocated. Currently, Zak Crawley (64* off 64 balls) has reached his fifty to steady the ship after the visitors lost their stand-in skipper early. Joe Root (32* off 54 balls) was looking fantastic and played a perfect partner to him. The visitors have their work cut out for them.

Day 2 sees Agha tonnes put Pakistan front of the pack after Masood, Shafique, and

Early in the day, Pakistan had a commanding lead thanks to a crucial 253-run stand put up by batsmen Abdullah Shafique (102) and Captain Shan Masood (151), who both completed their hundreds. In addition,

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Saud Shakeel maintained his strong batting form by smashing another fifty (82), although missing out on a well-earned century, during his Test career. While Salman Agha continued to roll during his century (104*) knock, piling on the sorrow of England.