Ben Duckett spared England’s blushes after a top-order collapse as the tourists posted 206 for nine in their rain-affected ODI series decider against the West Indies in Barbados.
Matthew Forde had a Windies debut to remember with three for 20 early on before Jos Buttler’s ill-judged hook to fine-leg saw him depart for a golden duck, which left England reeling on 49 for five in the 10th over.
Duckett ensured there was no capitulation, amassing 71 in 73 balls, and Liam Livingstone contributed 45 but they were prised out in quick succession in an ODI reduced to 43 overs each then 40 due to rain.
The start of this third ODI – with the teams sharing a win apiece in Antigua – was delayed by a couple of hours because of intermittent downpours but the Windies won what seemed an important toss.
While Matthew Potts replaced Brydon Carse, who was feeling unwell, the Windies brought in Forde, a 21-year-old seamer who capitalised on some unpredictable bounce and a hint of sideways movement.
Forde broke through in the first over as Phil Salt’s lame chip just about carried to Alzarri Joseph. Salt had put on four successive fifty-plus opening stands with Will Jacks but had to trudge off forlornly for four after replays showed Joseph with his hands under the ball.
It got even better in Forde’s next over when Zak Crawley tried to leave only to be surprised by some extra bounce, with the ball thudding into his glove and looping gently to Alick Athanaze in the cordon.
Forde’s only misstep came when he misfielded on the boundary after Duckett’s meaty pull, giving the left-hander the first of three fours in an over off Romario Shepherd. Forde immediately atoned, though, hitting a nagging length and finding a bit of shape to take the edge of Jacks, out for 17 off 20 balls.
Luck was with the Windies following the run out of Harry Brook, whose momentary hesitation before setting off for a single after nudging into the leg-side was his undoing following Joseph’s direct hit following an excellent pick up and throw off his bowling. Not even a desperate dive could save the Yorkshireman.
Two balls later and Buttler’s rush of blood to the head left England five down after 9.4 overs.
England have endured some epic collapses in the Caribbean and this briefly threatened to be added to the list but Duckett and Livingstone ensured they avoided total calamity.
Duckett put away his customary sweeps to the spinners until he had adjusted to the bounce and was nearing 50, after which he unleashed a couple of unrestrained pulls off Joseph for six and four.
Livingstone was initially watchful but followed Duckett in going on to the attack as he also cleared the rope off Joseph before being dropped on 31 when Keacy Carty shelled a simple chance in the deep.
An 88-run stand was ended when Duckett got a leading edge to short midwicket while Livingstone also seemed to be undone by the ball holding up a little as he clubbed to mid-on in Shepherd’s next over.
Another shower led to a 45-minute delay and another reduction in overs, leaving England seven more to negotiate.
From 167 for seven, the challenge would have been to post a 200-plus total and they did so courtesy of a handy last-wicket unbroken partnership of 35 from Gus Atkinson (20 not out) and Potts (15no)
England debutant Carse hopeful of closing ground on Pakistan
Brydon Carse is confident England can catch Pakistan after making a strong start to their chase on day two of the first Test in Multan.
Test debutant Carse took 2-74 but could not hold Pakistan back as the hosts scored 556 in their first innings.
It left England, shorn of opener Ben Duckett due to an injury, facing a daunting task. But despite Ollie Pope going for a duck in the second over of their chase, the tourists were steadied by the excellent Zak Crawley and Joe Root.
Crawley got to 64 from as many deliveries, while Root moved onto 32. He is now on 12,434 Test runs, meaning he is only 39 short of surpassing Alastair Cook (12,472) as England's all-time leading run scorer in the longest format.
With the pitch having been kind to batters so far, Carse believes England are well in contention.
"We spoke last night. To have them 328 for 4, I think if you had that score back home in England you're probably behind the game a bit," he said.
"We've scored nearly 100 there in 20 overs.
"If we could come here tomorrow and bat positively and put their score under pressure, let's see where we're at at the end of the day, with two days still to go."
Reflecting on his first innings as a Test bowler, Carse said: "It's been hard work and hard toil over the last two days. But I've thoroughly enjoyed the challenge and being out there with this group of lads.
"I've had loads of messages over the last two days, from friends and family, from people that have supported me over the last 10 years since I moved to England.
"A couple of the guys and Stokesy [Ben Stokes] said to me after we fielded, 'Look Brydon, it's not going to get tougher than these first two days.' They promised!"
Carse also offered an update on Duckett, who sustained a thumb injury while fielding.
"Ben’s OK. He's just taken a knock," Carse said via BBC Sport. "He'll be assessed overnight and he'll be back batting tomorrow."
Crawley and Root leading England fight after Pakistan cement dominance
Zak Crawley and Joe Root's assured start with the bat gave England hope on day two of their first Test against Pakistan, after the hosts had again impressed with the bat.
Just like on day one, the tourists struggled in the field as Pakistan racked up an impressive total of 556, before overcoming setbacks to steady the ship late in the day.
England were unable to build on their strong finish to day one, which saw them take three late wickets to halt Pakistan at 328-4, but Brydon Carse (2-74) got a wicket on his debut to end Naseem Shah's stand of 33.
Saud Shakeel's 82 put the hosts further out of reach, but it was Salman Ali Agha's unbeaten 104 off 119 balls that kept the momentum firmly with Pakistan, though it almost turned out differently.
Chris Woakes made a spectacular boundary catch with Salman on 15, but it was ruled not out as Woakes was judged to have stepped beyond the rope, denying England a chance to drop the hosts to 420-7.
Though England at one point took four wickets for 76 runs, it did little to end the onslaught, and they finished Pakistan's innings on a low note as opener Ben Duckett hurt his thumb taking the catch on the final wicket.
Ollie Pope then opened in his place, but the stand-in captain was taken for a duck on just his second ball.
However, Crawley (64 not out) and Root (32 not out) managed to calm any nerves as they reached stumps at 96-1, though they still trail by 460 runs.
Data Debrief: Pakistan race out of the blocks again
After making a flying start on day one, Pakistan caught England out with a similar tactic on Tuesday, adding 64 to the fifth wicket before Naseem was made to walk.
Jack Leach (3-160) was the pick of England's bowlers as they struggled in the heat, but for the most part, the tourists had no answers as Salman became the third centurion in the Test so far.
They will be hoping Crawley and Root can continue defying Pakistan with their stand on day three, with the latter now just 39 runs away from overtaking Alistair Cook as England's all-time leading run-scorer.
ICC lauds Match Referee Richie Richardson on 50th Test match milestone
Former West Indies stalwart Richie Richardson was moved by the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) recognition as he celebrated a milestone of officiating in 50 Men’s Test matches as a Match Referee.
Richardson, a member of the Emirates ICC Panel of Elite Match Referees, reached the landmark when he took the field in the first Test between Pakistan and England in Multan on Monday.
The 62-year-old former West Indies captain has also officiated in 99 Men’s ODIs, 99 Men’s T20Is, eight Women’s ODIs and 15 Women’s T20Is since making his international debut in February 2016.
Sean Easey, ICC’s senior manager for umpires and referees, lauded Richardson on the milestone.
“Congratulations are offered for reaching this significant milestone. Building on his extensive experience from being a player and team manager, Richie has worked hard to establish himself as a Match Referee. That hard work is clearly paying off,” Easey said.
“He conducts himself with composure, integrity, and respect, and in return he is highly respected by the game’s participants. On behalf of the ICC, I wish Richie best wishes for his 50th Test match as a referee,” he added.
Richardson in return expressed gratitude to those who supported him along the way.
“It is an honour to be officiating in my 50th Men’s Test match. I have enjoyed doing this job in different parts of the world and in all three formats of the game.
“I thank the International Cricket Council, Cricket West Indies, and all my colleagues for their support over the years. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank my family and friends whose encouragement has been invaluable,” Richardson stated.
During his playing time, Richardson scored 5,944 runs in 86 Test matches and 6,248 runs in 224 One Day Internationals during an impressive international career from 1983 to 1996. He was inducted into the Emirates ICC Panel of Elite Match Referees in 2016.
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