JUST 10 full overs were possible on the penultimate day of England’s rain-ruined second Test against Pakistan, with Rory Burns the most frustrated man at the Ageas Bowl after falling for duck in the slim passage of play.

After losing the entirety of day three to bad light and showers, the majority of the scheduled 98 overs would have been needed to advance the match in any meaningful fashion but the teams were on the field for less than an hour in total before the skies in Southampton opened again.

Pakistan’s first innings, which began on Thursday morning, was finally drawn to an end for 236 when Stuart Broad dismissed top-scorer Mohammad Rizwan for 72, leaving England to take guard in gloomy, bowler-friendly conditions.

Burns was a virtually blameless victim, nicking an unplayable Shaheen Afridi delivery behind for a four-ball nought, and even though only five overs were possible before the covers were called on it was a surprise that he was the only one.

Dom Sibley and Zak Crawley were made to fight for survival off nearly every ball as Shaheen and Mohammad Abbas found movement through the air and off the pitch and clung in to reach seven for one before the weather set in.

With a grim forecast on the cards for Monday a tepid draw now seems the only possible outcome, preserving England’s 1-0 lead heading into the final Test of the series, and the summer, at the same venue next week.