R Ashwin reveals how the 1st Test between Pakistan and England can yield results on a flat track

Ravichandran Ashwin is currently enjoying his free time by watching the 1st Test between Pakistan and England at the Multan Cricket Stadium in Multan. Ashwin was adjudged player of the series during the two 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 an eye on the England-Pakistan encounter. He went to X and showed how the match can lead to a result even on a flat track.

He suggested that the batting in the third innings, i.e. Pakistan’s batting, must collapse to get a result in the Test match. He captioned: “The only way this Test will produce a winner is if the third innings of batting is poor.” The Multan pitch was examined because it showed no signs of deterioration even though the Test match reached the halfway mark.

Ashwin’s tweet

Kevin Pietersen also criticized 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 one, Pietersen described the pitch as a “bowler’s graveyard”, a feeling that didn’t change on day three as England’s batters took full advantage of the conditions.

Multan route criticized

Pietersen, who represented England in 104 Tests from 2005 to 2014, said it would be detrimental to the nature of Test cricket if the Multan pitch remained unchanged and continued to be unfriendly to bowlers. Batting first, Pakistan reached a massive total of 556 in 149 overs. Abdullah Shafique and Shan Masood hit centuries on the first day’s play while Saud Shakeel added a useful 82. Salman Ali Agha then scored an unbeaten 104 to further thwart the English attack.

Jack Leach was England’s most successful bowler, picking up three wickets in his 40-over game, while Gus Atkinson and Brydon Carse contributed two wickets each.

In response, Zak Crawley laid a strong foundation for England with a brisk 78. Although stand-in captain Ollie Pope fell for a duck off Naseem Shah, Joe Root steadied the innings. Root overtook Alastair Cook to become England’s top run-scorer in Tests, reaching his hundred from 167 balls and overtaking the likes of Mahela Jayawardene, Brian Lara, Sunil Gavaskar and Younis Khan in the list of most Test centuries.

Ben Duckett, batting at No. 4, contributed a quick-fire 84 off 75 balls before Aamer Jamal dismissed him. With two days left and no sign of the pitch offering any support to the bowlers, the game appeared to be heading towards a draw.

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