That was such an easy chance, for the ball came at a perfect height, wasn’t too quick, and the fielder didn’t have to move any inch to catch it.
Babar Azam dropped a straightforward catch of Joe Root off Naseem Shah’s bowling on the fourth delivery of the 105th over in Multan. It was an easy catch and should be taken, especially when the track is placid and the opponent is ruling the roost.
Naseem bowled a back-of-a-length delivery outside the off-stump line, and Root nailed his pull shot but couldn’t keep it down. The ball flew straight to the short midwicket region, patrolled by former Pakistani captain, Babar Azam.
The ball hit Babar’s hand, but he couldn’t hold it as it ballooned out of his hands in a flash. That was such an easy chance, for the ball came at a perfect height, wasn’t too quick, and the fielder didn’t have to move any inch to catch it.
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Still, Babar put down a dolly, giving a lifeline to a dangerous Joe Root, who was in no mood to stop. Naseem couldn’t believe his luck and was gutted not to get a deserved reward after producing a chance against the run of play amidst a long spell in a sultry Multan heat.
Joe Root was on 192 when Babar Azam dropped his catch, and the batter ensured the fielding team paid a hefty cost. On the following delivery, he hit a boundary to add insult to injury and didn’t stop.
He went on to notch up a magnificent double-ton, his sixth in the format and scored a whopping 262 runs in 375 balls, including 17 boundaries. Root has now the second-most double centuries in the format for England, only behind Wally Hammond.
From the other end, Harry Brook supported him brilliantly, and the duo stitched a massive 454-run stand for the fourth wicket, the highest-ever by an English pair. Brook also hit a marvellous triple-ton, scoring 317 runs in 322 deliveries, with the help of 29 boundaries and three maximums.
Eventually, England declared after piling 823/7 in 150 overs, taking a big 267-run lead in the first innings. They hope to take all ten wickets and extract a result from this game.
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