Tea England 88 for 1 (Duckett 53*) trail Pakistan 366 (Ghulam 118, Ayub 77, Leach 4-114) by 278 runs
Ben Duckett put Pakistan's first-innings 366 into perspective in a sweep-laden start to England's reply in Multan, as he toyed with Pakistan's spin-dominant attack to rush through to 53 from 60 balls by tea, his 12th half-century in Tests and his fifth in as many matches against Pakistan.
On Duckett's watch, England racked up 88 for 1 by the break in just 17 overs, a run-rate that was almost double Pakistan's own tempo over the course of their 123.3-over innings. He added 73 for the first wicket with Zak Crawley, who led a bit of a charmed life in his 27 from 36 balls, with Ollie Pope joining him on 5.
England began their innings shortly after the lunch break, after Jack Leach's fourth wicket of the innings had ended some stiff resistance from Pakistan's lower-order. Three breakthroughs in the first hour of the day had raised England's hopes of restricting their opponents to nearer 300, but Aamer Jamal made 37 and Noman Ali 32 to help add 57 useful runs for the final two wickets.
That effort was quickly put into context when England's reply began, however. Jamal, Pakistan's lone seamer, appeared to sustain a hip injury during his innings, and bowled just three overs in the session after testing his fitness in the innings break. And thereafter, the bowling was a churn of spin options, which played straight into Duckett's clear strengths.
He had picked off nine fours by tea, in rushing through to his fifty from 47 balls, the majority of which were dragged through the arc from fine leg to deep midwicket, as Pakistan's leg-side fielders were given the run-around by the range of angles he was able to access on the sweep.
Crawley, by contrast, was less assured against the spin attack, and had two huge let-offs before finally snicking off to a loose drive outside off, a decision that Shan Masood successfully reviewed.
He should have been run out on 20 after being sent back on a quick single to backward square but Sajid Khan broke the stumps before the ball had arrived, and five runs later, he was ready to walk after being struck on the pads while sweeping, again off Sajid. But Duckett persuaded him to review with the ball shown to be missing leg.
England's day had begun with a fine first hour with the ball. In cooler, hazier conditions, the pitch seemed to have acquired an extra yard of pace for the day's opening exchanges, which Brydon Carse utilised to superb effect for a crucial early breakthrough. Having added just four runs to his overnight 37, Mohammad Rizwan was beaten by Carse's extra lift, angled into his splice, and Jamie Smith behind the stumps reacted superbly to cling onto a fast-travelling chance.
It was due reward for an exemplary display from Carse, whose key wicket of Saud Shakeel on the first evening had also required him to extract some unlikely life from the surface. But, having conceded 19 runs in his first 15 overs, Carse then encountered his nemesis in Agha Salman, who picked off two coolly deflected boundaries through deep third in a 16-run over that gave Pakistan their first real impetus for the morning.
Matthew Potts replaced Carse, but Salman kept picking off his dabs, with two more fours in consecutive deliveries through deep third. However, Ben Stokes, to his credit, refused to plug the gap in conventional style, instead choosing to add a gully to ramp up the risk-reward element to the stroke. Four balls later, Potts this time extracted the extra bounce, and Smith - for the third time in the innings - make a very sharp chance look simple.
Jack Leach, England's stand-out spinner in the series so far, then added his third of the innings, moments after the drinks break, stopping one in the pitch as Sajid Khan punched a drive on the up to short cover. At 309 for 8, Pakistan were in danger of another damaging subsidence.
Jamal and Noman, however, had other ideas, though Carse prevented their partnership from extending into the final session with a brilliant first ball of the second session that skidded through Jamal's defences to bowl him without addition. Noman kept them waiting for the final wicket, although England's backslaps and high fives at the completion of their stint in the field implied that they were perfectly content with their day-and-a-bit's work. Duckett's subsequent response showed why.
