Ravichandran Ashwin is currently enjoying his time off by watching the 1st Test between Pakistan and England at the Multan Cricket Stadium in Multan. Ashwin was adjudged as the Player of the Series during the 2 Tests between India and Bangladesh. He will be back in action during the three-match Test series between India and New Zealand, starting October 16. However, Ashwin is keeping a track of the encounter between England and Pakistan. He took to X and revealed how the match can produce a result even on a flat track.
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He suggested that the 3rd innings, batting i.e. Pakistan’s batting has to collapse in order to get a result in the Test match. He captioned, “Now the only way this test will see a winner is if the 3rd batting innings is a poor one.” The Multan pitch has come under the scanner for not showing signs of deterioration despite the Test match touching the half-way mark.
Ashwin’s tweet
Kevin Pietersen also criticised the Pakistan Cricket Board for preparing an overly batting-friendly pitch in the first Test between England and Pakistan at the Multan Cricket Stadium. On Day 1, Pietersen labelled the pitch as a ‘bowler’s graveyard’, a sentiment that hasn’t changed even by Day 3, as England’s batters took full advantage of the conditions.
Multan track criticised
Pietersen, who represented England in 104 Tests from 2005 to 2014, stated that if the Multan pitch remains unchanged and continues to be unfriendly to bowlers, it would harm the essence of Test cricket. Pakistan, batting first, piled up a massive total of 556 in 149 overs. Abdullah Shafique and Shan Masood struck centuries on the opening day, while Saud Shakeel added a useful 82. Salman Ali Agha then scored an unbeaten 104 to further frustrate the English attack.
Jack Leach was England’s most successful bowler, picking up three wickets in his 40-over spell, while Gus Atkinson and Brydon Carse chipped in with two wickets each.
In response, Zak Crawley laid a strong foundation for England with a brisk 78. Despite stand-in skipper Ollie Pope falling for a duck to Naseem Shah, Joe Root steadied the innings. Root went past Alastair Cook to become England’s highest run-scorer in Tests and reached his hundred off 167 balls, overtaking greats like Mahela Jayawardene, Brian Lara, Sunil Gavaskar, and Younis Khan in the list of most Test centuries.
Ben Duckett, batting at No.4, contributed a quickfire 84 off 75 balls before Aamer Jamal dismissed him. With two days remaining and no signs of the pitch offering assistance to the bowlers, the match seemed headed for a draw.
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