[Watch] Joe Root rubs the ball on Jack Leach's head to shine it on Day 1 of PAK vs ENG 2024 2nd Test
Former England captain Joe Root was at it again as he rubbed the red ball across Jack Leach's bald head to shine the cherry. A video of the same was shared by English broadcaster Sky Sports amid Day 1 of the second Test against Pakistan at the Multan Cricket Stadium on Tuesday (October 15).
With saliva permanently banned by the International Cricket Council (ICC) from using on a ball, teams have resorted to using sweat on the ball. The former England captain had used the same tactic during the previous Pakistan tour as well to shine the red cherry.
Take a look:
It was Pakistan who won the toss on Day 1 and elected to bat first. The hosts announced three frontline spinners in their playing XI, while Kamran Ghulam made his Test debut. England announced two changes as Ben Stokes returned to replace Chris Woakes, while Matthew Potts came in place of Gus Atkinson.
Jack Leach makes early inroads but Kamran Ghulam and Saim Ayub dig in
Leach, introduced early in the innings by Stokes, sent Abdullah Shafique and Shan Masood packing in his back-to-back overs. However, Ghulam and Saim Ayub prevented any further damage as the pair stitched together a partnership of 60 to lunch.
The Somerset spinner did not play any Test over the home summer, but was included after his impressive performances in the County Championship matches. The veteran proved his worth in the opening Test, finishing with seven wickets to consign the hosts to a historic innings defeat. The innings and 47-run loss made Pakistan the first team to lose despite scoring over 500 runs in their opening dig.
With Masood and co. enduring a heavy loss, the selectors decided to wield the axe, notably dropping Babar Azam, Shaheen Shah Afridi, and Naseem Shah for the remaining two Tests. They called up Ghulam, Haseebullah Khan, Mehran Mumtaz, Sajid Khan, Noman Ali, Zahid Mahmood, and Mohammad Ali into the squad.