England batsman Joe Root used a novel tactic to pick wickets after Pakistan won the toss in the second Test in Multan. After spinner Jack Leach picked up two wickets in the first session, Pakistan settled into their innings with half-centuries from Saim Ayub and Kamran Ghulam. At this time, Root devised a novel method of shining the ball to aid Leach, Shoaib Bashir, and the rest of the English attack.
Root rubbed the ball on Leach’s head as if he was attempting to shine one side of the ball. Leach, who is mostly bald, had helped similarly in 2022. With Multan’s flat batting wickets, England has been forced to discover new approaches to make a breakthrough. Root, who captained England in 64 Tests, demonstrated that he has not lost his tactical genius.
The event caused fans to split up. “That’s one way to rough it up,” wrote one user on the social media platform X. A third fan appeared to be apprehensive about the legality of such an action.
“It looks like ball tampering to me, and I don’t understand why England cricket would promote this as a good thing. Leach has stubble on the back of his head, which could scratch the surface. The user mentioned sunscreen, which could affect the surface.
Despite losing Abdullah Shafique and skipper Shan Masood cheaply, Saim Ayub and Kamran Ghulam put up a 149-run partnership to help Pakistan recover. Ayub perished for 75, while Ghulam, who replaced Babar Azam in the playing XI, came closer to a century at Tea on Day 1.