Star England batter Joe Root came up with a unique way to shine the ball during the second PAK v ENG Test in Multan.
A viral video of the incident is making rounds on social media showing the right-handed batter shinning the ball on Jack Leach’s head during Pakistan’s first inning.
It is worth mentioning here that the International Cricket Council (ICC) banned the use of saliva to shine the ball due to Covid protocols during the pandemic.
The ban prompted Joe Root to get creative to maintain the ball’s polish and his method was to rub the ball on Jack Leach’s bald head.
The viral video showed Leach sitting near the wicket to dry his hands while the England batter kept rubbing the ball on the spinner’s head.
The former England skipper has done the same thing during England’s 2022 tour of Pakistan as he rubbed the ball on Leach’s head in the first Test.
The second Pak v ENG Test saw Leach leading England’s attack as he dismissed Pakistan opener Abdullah Shafique and captain Shan Masood to leave them reeling at 19/2.
However, debutant Kamran Ghulam, who hit his maiden century, built a crucial partnership with left-handed batter Saim Ayub to stabilise the inning.
Pakistan were bowled out on 366 during the second session of Day 2 as Leach topped the wicket-takers chart for England with four wickets, while Brydon Carse and Matthew Potts took three and two wickets respectively.
In reply, Pakistan off-spinner Sajid Khan spun the web to leave England struggling on 239-6 at Stumps on the second day of the second PAK v ENG Test after Ben Duckett’s century.
Jamie Smith (12*) and Brydon Carse (2*) will resume England’s innings on Day 3.
The visitors lead the three-match Test series 1-0 after beating Pakistan by an innings and 47 runs last week at the same venue.
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