After losing to England in the first Test in Rawalpindi, Pakistan suffered another setback when in-form fast bowler Haris Rauf was injured and was subsequently ruled out of action from the second Test at Multan.
The 29-year-old, who made his Test debut against England in the first Test, trod on the ball while fielding, injuring his right quad, which is apparently more serious than first imagined.
Rauf was taken for MRI scans, and while he did bat in the first innings of the Test, he did not bowl when England batted again. On the first day of the Test, when England sped to a huge score, and Pakistan’s bowlers were sent on a leather hunt, he was a shade expensive, giving away 78 runs in 13 overs.
The Pakistani bowling attack, which is already without left-arm pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi, was further weakened by Rauf’s injury. It is very likely that Pakistan will call up an extra bowler who wasn’t among the 18 chosen for this series.
Meanwhile, England hard-hitting all-rounder Liam Livingstone was forced to pull out of the remainder of the tour after suffering an injury to his knee.
It was a historic first Test between the two sides, as England traveled to Pakistan after a gap of more than 17 years. Veteran fast bowler James Anderson, who is the only member of that side to still be playing, was warmly received by the Pakistani fans.
Anderson shone in a Test match dominated by the bat. Both sides scored a mountain of runs, breaking the record for the most runs scored in a Test match.
Ben Stokes’ circumspect declaration in the first innings nearly brought about his side’s downfall as Pakistan came very close to pulling off what would be an epic win. However, a good showing from the England bowlers in the fourth innings meant that Pakistan would eventually fall well short.
