England expect Duckett to bat despite thumb injury

Ben Duckett is playing in his 23rd successive Test for England

England expect Ben Duckett to be fit to bat on day three of the first Test despite the opener suffering a thumb injury in Multan.

Duckett sustained a suspected dislocation taking a catch to dismiss Pakistan number 11 Abrar Ahmed.

The 29-year-old received treatment on the field and did not emerge at the beginning of England’s reply to the hosts’ 556.

Ollie Pope opened in his place and was out for a duck, but Zak Crawley and Joe Root were able to steady the tourists to 96-1.

"Ben’s OK," said pace bowler Brydon Carse. "He’s just taken a knock. He’ll be assessed overnight and he’ll be back batting tomorrow."

Left-hander Duckett was not in a position to bat on Tuesday evening, though England have confirmed there are no plans for him to have a scan.

If he is fit to bat on Wednesday, he does not need to drop any further down the order because he has suffered an external injury.

Duckett has established himself as a key part of the England team since he was recalled on the 2022 tour of Pakistan after a six-year absence from Test cricket.

Since his return, only England team-mate Joe Root has topped his tally of 1,718 runs in Tests across the globe.

If Duckett has suffered a serious injury, uncapped Jordan Cox is the spare batter in the England squad, though any potential absence for Duckett could also leave space for captain Ben Stokes’ return to the side.

Stokes is missing his fourth consecutive Test because of a hamstring injury, with Pope captaining in his place.

On Tuesday Stokes had a session of intense running, spent around 40 minutes batting in the nets, then bowled three overs in the middle during the tea interval.

After pace bowler Josh Hull was ruled out of the tour with a quad injury, England will lose a further member of their squad when pace bowler Olly Stone returns to the UK to get married on Saturday.

Stone is unlikely to back in Pakistan for the second Test, also in Multan, beginning next Tuesday.

That would leave Matthew Potts as the only back-up seamer, meaning few options for rotation after England spent 149 overs in the field in Pakistan’s first innings.

At the moment, the tourists have no plans to call up another pace bowler.

For Carse, it was a gruelling introduction to Test cricket. The Durham man claimed his maiden wicket when Naseem Shah turned a catch to leg slip and he followed up by pinning Ameer Jamal leg before.

"The last two days have been immensely tough conditions," said the 29-year-old. "To be able to pick up a couple of wickets today felt rewarding. It’s been a tough graft.

"The guys will rest up tonight and bat positively to put the Pakistan bowlers under pressure."