PAK vs ENG: Gunshots reportedly heard in Multan ahead of 2nd Test

The England team were in for a minor security scare ahead of the second Test against Pakistan in Multan after gunshots were heard not far from where the teams are staying.

England are playing a Test series on Pakistani soil for the first time in 17 years and both the home and away teams have been under heavy security cover since the start of the series in Rawalpindi.

According to a report on The Independent, the gunshot sounds were the result of a fight that broke out between rival gangs in the southern Punjab city, the gunfight taking place around a kilometre from where the English and Pakistani teams are staying.

The report added that Pakistani police have made up to four arrests in the case. The gunshots have apparently not affected Ben Stokes and company’s preparation for the second Test, which starts on Friday.

The Brendon McCullum-coached side are currently leading the series after a memorable victory in the series opener at the Pindi Cricket Stadium, where Stokes and Co smashed more than 500 runs on a dramatic opening day.

They would make a bold declaration on Day 4 to set a challenging, but not impossible target of 343 and would ultimately bundle the hosts out to register a 71-run win under fading light in the final session of the final day.

England had played both Tests and ODIs the last time they toured Pakistan in 2005, with veteran pacer James Anderson the only member of that English side featuring in the current series. Pakistan would win both the Tests (2-0) and ODIs (3-2).

International cricket would come to a halt after an attack on the Sri Lankan team in Lahore in 2009, and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) would be forced to host Pakistan’s home games in the UAE. No international team would visit Pakistan for the next six years until Zimbabwe showed up in 2015 for two T20Is and three ODIs.

Since then, every Test-playing side barring India has travelled to Pakistan, with Australia winning the three-Test series against Babar Azam and Co 1-0 in their first trip to the country since 1998.

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