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October 14, 2024
England captain Ollie Pope praised Joe Root and Harry Brook for their outstanding performances during the team’s historic Test victory in Multan. Both players achieved career-best scores and formed a record-breaking 454-run partnership, contributing to England’s impressive first-innings total of 823 for 7. England maintained a brisk scoring rate of 5.48 runs per over, which not only provided a significant lead but also allowed their bowlers ample time to aim for a win.
“I think the pace at which they batted is crucial for that and you kinda need that on these flat pitches as we saw last time around at Pakistan,” Pope told Sky Sports.
“They play such different games but they both score at a pretty good rate. Obviously, the way Brooky uses power and then Rooty has kinda got a cushion on his bat so he just sticks with twos. But I think going in last night, they [Pakistan] would have been knackered from chasing the ball around and the way they played was just phenomenal.”
England head coach Brendon McCullum previously told Sky Sports that Pakistan’s total of 556 was below par on the flat and unresponsive pitch in Multan. However, Ollie Pope disagreed, expressing confidence in his batters to surpass that score significantly.
“Whenever you get 550, whatever pitch it is, it is always a good score. But, we also knew if we bat with anything like we know we can, then we know that we can go, we can go really big. And obviously, we’ve got two greedy Yorkshiremen and they did exactly that. Obviously, the skills they showed and the fitness they showed as well. The fact that we knew we needed a massive score kept them driving, sort of driving towards those massive massive numbers and massive credit to them for putting us in a position to win that game.”
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Pope, however, was unable to score after Aamer Jamal took a spectacular catch at mid-wicket. He acknowledged that he might have felt envious earlier in his career but now takes great pleasure in seeing his teammates succeed. Looking ahead, he expressed excitement about the next two matches and his eagerness to make match-winning contributions.
“Yeah, absolutely. I think when I was a bit younger, early on in my professional career, that would have been a situation I would have not hated because we’re in a great position but in my mind I would have thought ‘ugh, why can’t that be me’ but I was fortunate enough to make some runs in the last game [Oval Test vs Sri Lanka] and I’ll look at the next two games to make some match-winning performance. But I loved every bit of watching the 2 Yorkshiremen bat, what they did was seriously special, it was a joy to watch and very pleased for them.”
With Olly Stone returning home for his wedding and unavailable for the next Test, Pope ruled out the idea of bringing in an additional seamer. However, he mentioned that captain Ben Stokes could potentially return to the squad for the second Test, which starts on October 15.
“We’ve got a few days off our feet now, we’ll keep it as relaxed as possible. I know there’s always that way of looking at things. But obviously, there’s been Matt Potts on the sidelines who’s been bowling lovely and he’s just waiting for his go.”
“Ben Stokes is also looking to come back and play as well. I don’t know. I’m not 100% sure [if he’ll play the next Test]. He’s been training very well this week and he’s as keen as ever to get playing again. Fingers crossed for everyone, he’s all good.”
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Notable batting performances
After starting the day at 98 for 5, Gujarat made a strong recovery to finish at 334 for 8 against Hyderabad. Manan Hingrajia played a crucial role, remaining unbeaten on 174 and anchoring the innings. A highlight was his partnership of 112 runs for the sixth wicket with Urvil Patel, who scored 60. Hingrajia then continued to score runs almost single-handedly with the lower order, helping to stabilize the team’s position.
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After struggling at 90 for 5, Baroda made a strong comeback against Mumbai thanks to half-centuries from Mitesh Patel, who scored 86, and Atit Seth, who contributed 60. The pair formed a crucial partnership of 130 runs for the sixth wicket, helping to stabilize the innings and push Baroda’s total past 200 in their first innings.
Bengal opener Sudip Chatterjee scored 116 and partnered with Sudip Kumar Gharami, who made 90, to form a 198-run partnership for the second wicket after Abhimanyu Easwaran was dismissed early. However, Uttar Pradesh responded strongly, with leg-spinner Vipraj Nigam taking four wickets. Following the end of that partnership, Bengal lost six wickets for just 41 runs.
After finding themselves at 65 for 3, Madhya Pradesh steadied their innings thanks to a resilient 75 not out from Harpreet Singh Bhatia. He received support from Shubham Sharma and Rajat Patidar, who formed brief partnerships with him as the middle order battled against Karnataka in Indore.
Jammu & Kashmir opener Shubham Khajuria delivered an impressive performance with an unbeaten 130 against Maharashtra. He fought valiantly, as the next highest score from his team was only 37, helping the hosts surpass 250 runs on the first day after being put to bat.
Ravi Chauahan’s impressive 113 off 164 balls, along with an unbeaten 86 from skipper Rajat Paliwal, highlighted Services’ batting performance on the first day against Meghalaya. The team reached 298 for 4 and looked poised to build on that total.
Bihar was dismissed for just 78 runs against Haryana after being sent in to bat. The bowling attack delivered a strong performance, with pacer Aman Kumar taking three wickets. He was well-supported by Anshul Khmaboj, Jayant Yadav, and Sumit Kumar, who each claimed two wickets in Rohtak.
In Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu’s captain R Sai Kishore took three wickets, including the important dismissal of Cheteshwar Pujara for 16 runs. He was well-supported by pacers M Mohammed and Sonu Yadav, who also claimed three wickets each, helping to bowl Saurashtra out for just 203 runs. Veteran Arpit Vasavada was the lone fighter for Saurashtra, remaining unbeaten on 62.
KC Cariappa achieved a remarkable seven-wicket haul, leading Mizoram to bowl out Sikkim for just 191 runs. The hosts struggled significantly, losing their last eight wickets for only 84 runs.
Suyash Prabhudesai scored a solid 120, setting a strong foundation for the hosts, Goa, against Manipur. With valuable contributions from the lower order, Goa surpassed 300 runs on the first day after choosing to bat.
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Katarzyna Nowak is a seasoned writer with over five years of experience in editorial content, news reporting, and cricket sportsbook app reviews. As an author for IPLWin365 (IPL365 News), she combines her deep understanding of the sports betting industry with a passion for cricket, delivering insightful and accurate content that keeps readers informed and engaged.
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