Visits: 2
England are fighting back in the first #raisethebat Test against Pakistan after a spirited bowling display on the third evening at Emirates Old Trafford reduced the tourists to 137-8 in their second innings – a lead of 244.
Stuart Broad (2-23) dismissed first-innings centurion Shan Masood for a duck, while a double-wicket burst from Chris Woakes (2-11) saw the back of the dangerous Babar Azam (5) and Pakistan captain Azhar Ali (18).
From 63-4, Asad Shafiq (29) and Mohammad Rizwan (27) helped the visiting side regroup, though a direct hit from Dom Sibley did for the former, ending a blossoming 38-run partnership, and Ben Stokes (2-11), back bowling, later trapped Rizwan lbw and bounced out Shaeen Afridi (2).
Earlier, England were bowled out for 219 in their first innings, with Yasir Shah ripping through the lower order after lunch to finish with figures of 4-66, after Ollie Pope (62) and Jos Buttler (38) had bravely battled through the morning session.
England scored just 19 runs in the first hour, with only nine of those coming off the bat, as Pakistan’s seamers probed away; Mohammad Abbas was particularly miserly in giving up just one run from his first seven overs.
While the runs proved hard to come by, Pope did at least go through to a fifth Test fifty, but he perished soon after the drinks break, edging a brutal delivery from 17-year-old Pakistan quick Naseem Shah (1-44) to gully.
Woakes came in and was immediately pinged on the helmet with a bouncer, but he and Buttler held firm through the onslaught, seeing England safely to lunch – via a brief rain break (during a nationwide heatwave) in Manchester – without further loss.
But the introduction of legspinner Yasir brought with it a new challenge, one which England’s lower order wasn’t up to, Buttler first bowled through the gate, playing for turn, in the second over after the break.
Dom Bess (1) was next, out off the shoulder edge, Shafiq at slip taking a good catch as it looped up and over him, before Woakes (19) then chopped a shorter, flatter delivery onto his stumps.
Broad, having recently rediscovered some form and flair with the bat – scores of 43 and 62 in his last three Tests – cracked an unbeaten 29 off 25 balls to at least see England up above 200, as Pakistan’s second spinner Shadab Khan (2-13) wrapped up the innings with the wickets of Jofra Archer (16) and James Anderson (7).
England desperately needed early wickets in reply, and they got one as Masood, who had denied them for 319 balls and nearly eight hours in the first innings, fell to a strangled edge down the legside in the second over.
Stokes had the chance to quickly add another but put down Abid Ali at second slip, when on seven, shortly before tea.
It wasn’t to prove too costly as Abid was to fall to Bess (1-40) for 20, top-edging a sweep to square-leg, while Stokes himself made amends by snatching a near identical chance to dismiss Babar.
Woakes, in a hugely impressive five-over spell, also picked up the Pakistan skipper lbw, ending a somewhat tortured innings from Azhar, who had taken 20 deliveries to get off a pair.
Anderson had a chance to add Shafiq’s wicket in Woakes’ next over, but failed to claw in a tough chance that came to him quickly at point.
It would only cost England 14 runs thanks to Sibley’s sharp work at cover to run Shafiq out for 28, while Stokes’ late wickets of Rizwan and Shaheen, along with Broad’s second of the innings – Shadab (15) lbw – sandwiched in between, further aided England’s comeback.
Watch day four of the first Test between England and Pakistan, live on Sky Sports Cricket from 10.30am on Saturday.
