Pakistan flip approach in hope dead Multan deck comes to life

Big picture: Rip up the script, and go againThe fans have been out in force in Multan this week, but not, as might be justified, to protest against the failings of a Pakistan team that has now lost six Tests in a row. Instead, they’ve been whirring away at either end of the heavily-watered strip of concrete that doubled as a record-breaking Test wicket during last week’s first Test, willing it to transmogrify into something completely out of character.Desperate times call for desperate measures, but this has been an extraordinary response to last week’s humiliating series opener. To lose by an innings after scoring 556 is akin to being eaten by a shark while sitting at the top of a tree. It’s been an assault on Pakistan’s perception of reality, and an open invitation to paranoia, with the sense that nowhere is safe from an England team that has now transcended the hosts’ conditions to win four away Tests on the bounce.Who knows what awaits after the fans have done their bit,…