Brydon Carse Reflects on Dramatic Transition for England in Multan Test

Debutant Brydon Carse expressed disbelief after witnessing a pivotal moment during England’s first Test against Pakistan in Multan. “You couldn’t write it,” Carse stated, referring to England’s captain Ollie Pope falling victim to an extraordinary catch by Aamer Jamal, immediately after agreeing to open the innings following Ben Duckett‘s injury.

England endured 149 exhausting overs on the field as Pakistan amassed a considerable 556 runs. The visitors faced setbacks due to dropped catches by Jamie Smith and Gus Atkinson, as well as a controversial decision by third umpire Chris Gaffaney against Chris Woakes for a boundary catch, which proved costly as Agha Salman went on to score an unbeaten 104.

Duckett’s injury occurred while taking a catch at slip that ended Pakistan’s innings, consequently putting him out of opening England’s reply. Pope stepped in but was caught out early due to Jamal’s spectacular midwicket catch, leaving him with a duck from just two balls. Carse, who took his first two Test wickets earlier, said, “That’s cricket. It can be a great leveller at times.”

Despite the challenges, England’s players remained resilient, according to Carse. “It was a tough graft over the last two days,” he remarked, adding that the team remained in “good spirits” throughout. England concluded day two at 96-1, with notable performances from Zak Crawley and Joe Root, who are both crucial to England’s innings.

Meanwhile, Ben Duckett’s injury, initially feared to be a fracture, was later suggested to be a dislocation. England remains optimistic he will return to the middle order. Carse’s colleague, Matthew Potts, is anticipated to replace Olly Stone, who is returning to England for his wedding, in case Stone is unavailable for the subsequent Test.