England star Ben Duckett may have helped wrap up Pakistan’s innings but it’s come at a significant cost.
Pakistan had already built a sizeable total in the first innings of the first Test but it came to an end via Joe Root.
Duckett hurt his thumb while taking a catchGetty
Root sent down a short ball that caught Abrar Ahmed off-guard as he popped up the delivery straight to Duckett, who was the only fielder in the slips.
Duckett made no mistake with the catch to send Ahmed back to the pavilion, but just as the ball stuck to his hands he knew something was wrong.
The 29-year-old raised his hands to England’s medical staff and clutched at his left wrist, although it was his left thumb that looked worse for wear.
Duckett’s injury is the last thing England needs given skipper Ben Stokes is out for the first Test with a hamstring injury while Mark Wood remains sidelined with a stress fracture in his right elbow.
It is especially problematic given Duckett was set to open the batting alongside Zak Crawley.
Instead, stand-in skipper Ollie Pope opened with Crawley but his innings lasted just two balls after he was caught by Aamir Jamal for a duck.
Pope attempted to pull a short delivery from Naseem Shah and caught it well, but Jamal leapt up and plucked the ball out of the air with his right hand.
Giving an update, talkSPORT’s cricket editor Jon Norman said: “It hit the top of Duckett’s thumb and the slow-motion replays looked awful. Duckett signalled immediately to the dressing room and he did not come out to bat.
“Ollie Pope came out… and he’s out already. Second ball duck.”
The innings should have already been wrapped up by this point too as Jamie Smith missed an easy stumping and Gus Atkinson dropped a catch.
Sky SportsDuckett hurt his left thumb when taking a catch[/caption]
England have plenty of work to do if they are to chase down Pakistan’s first innings total of 556.
Although Pakistan lost opener Saim Ayub in the fourth over, Abdullah Shafique and Shan Masood built a stunning 253-run partnership before the former fell for 102 from 184.
Masood departed just only a few overs later after he was caught and bowled by Jack Leach for 151.
Pakistan’s middle order chipped in with some important contributions, with Saud Shakeel hitting 82 and Salman Ali Agha ending the innings unbeaten on 104.
Leach was the leading wicket-taker for England with three, although he shipped 160 runs from his 40 overs.
Gus Atkinson and Brydon Carse took two wickets while Root, Chris Woakes and Shoaib Bashir snared one each.