sport news LAWRENCE BOOTH: England preparations affected as flight delayed due to fog in ... trends now
England arrived in Multan exhausted but jubilant, hoping the weather wouldn’t succeed where Pakistan fell short in the first Test and throw a spanner in the Bazball works.
Plans of settling in quickly ahead of Friday’s second match were scuppered when the team’s charter flight from Islamabad was delayed by three and a half hours because of fog in Multan.
And there were fears that a typical day’s play here could be even shorter than in Rawalpindi, where an average of only 78 overs – 12 shy of the daily allocation – were possible because of the early sunset.
Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum must decide how much to tinker with the England team that spent the first Test ignoring convention in their impressive display against Pakistan
Preparations for the second Test were affected as England's flight from Islamabad was delayed by three and a half hours due to fog in Multan
Multan lies on the banks of the Chenab River, and the fog that forms every morning does not easily shift. It gets smoggy too: the quality of the city’s air registered on one app as ‘very unhealthy’.
The Multan Cricket Stadium has not staged a Test for 16 years, and local journalists are bemused it has been chosen now. But Lahore was ruled out because of winter smog, and England must prove adaptable again as they aim to clinch the series against opponents still shaken by events in Rawalpindi.
‘England is introducing a new style of cricket to the world,’ said Pakistan wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan after his side’s stunning 74-run defeat on Monday. ‘Pakistan cannot change its gameplay overnight.’
While the hosts fret over how to counter England’s aggression, and what kind of pitch to prepare, Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum must decide how much to tinker with the team that spent the first Test ignoring convention.
Ben Foakes has recovered from illness and is a straight swap for Liam Livingstone, whose tour has been ended by a knee injury. He will also reclaim the gloves from Ollie Pope, who proved a
