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On Day 2 of the first Test between Pakistan and England, Aamer Jamal almost fumbled a catch of England’s opener Zak Crawley. The incident took place in the 25th over of England’s first innings when Pakistan’s ace pacer Shaheen Afridi bowled to Crawley.
Aamer Jamal almost botched Zak Crawley’s catch
Afridi set up Crawley’s dismissal with precision, consistently bowling length deliveries outside the off-stump, tempting the batter to drive. In a change of tactics, Afridi angled a ball in towards Crawley, who flicked it towards the leg side. Jamal, positioned at mid-wicket, nearly made a costly mistake by dropping the catch on his first attempt. The ball popped out of his hands, but Jamal recovered quickly, bending down to secure the catch on the second try. Crawley, visibly disappointed, had to walk back after an impressive knock of 78 off 85 balls, including 13 fours.
Here is the video:
Pouched on the second attempt! 🙌
Wicket no. 2 for Pakistan, catch no. 2 for Aamir Jamal 🏏#PAKvENG | #TestAtHome pic.twitter.com/9Jyln5W4B0
— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) October 9, 2024
Also WATCH: Aamer Jamal plucks a one-handed screamer to dismiss Ollie Pope on Day 2 of the 1st Test | PAK vs ENG
Joe Root and Ben Duckett hold firm at the crease
Earlier in the match, Pakistan had posted a mammoth total of 556 runs in their first innings, thanks to centuries from Agha Salman, Abdullah Shafique, and captain Shan Masood. The trio’s stellar performance with the bat set the tone for Pakistan’s strong start in the series. Opener Shafique and the skipper Masood, laid a solid foundation, while Salman added further stability in the middle order, helping Pakistan to a commanding position on Day 1 of the Test match.
As Day 2 progressed, at the end of the session 1, England found themselves under pressure, trailing by a significant margin of 324 runs. Despite losing two early wickets, including the in-form Crawley, England’s star batters Joe Root and Ben Duckett have steadied the ship. Root, unbeaten on 72, and Duckett, on 80, have started to build a partnership and are looking comfortable at the crease as England reached a score of 232/2.
With Root and Duckett showing resilience, England still has a long way to go to reduce Pakistan’s massive lead. As the match moves forward, all eyes will be on whether the English middle order can continue to fight back or if Pakistan’s bowling attack, led by Afridi, can capitalize on the early breakthroughs.
