After setting a courageous goal of 343 for the house group on Sunday, a fiery England pushed their first Test in Pakistan in 17 years to an exhilarating final-day end.
Pakistan ended the fourth day at 80-2, requiring a most of 263 runs from 90 overs within the First Test of the three-match collection.
First-innings centurion Imam-ul-Haq was not out on 43 off 60 balls, whereas one of many 4 Pakistani gamers, Saud Shakeel, was fortunate on 24 as Keaton Jennings didn’t take a two-handed catch. Wicket within the final over of the day.
Ben Stokes’ plan to start out with a barrage of short-pitched balls paid dividends for England within the closing session, when the vacationers declared their second innings at 264-7 at tea for an general lead of 342.
Abdullah Shafiq (6), considered one of three century-makers in Pakistan’s first innings, fell into the England web and pulled Ollie Robinson within the deep, earlier than Azhar Ali was hit on his proper index finger in the identical over and Left the sector in ache.
Stokes, sharing the brand new ball with Robinson, was caught unconscious by one other short-pitched ball from Babar Azam to scale back Pakistan to 25–2, earlier than the 2 left-handers – Imam and Shakeel – shared a 55-run partnership. Batted confidently. Until Jennings missed a chance.
In their first innings, Pakistan’s decrease order decreased England’s lead earlier than being bowled out for 579.
But England didn’t again down on a batting-friendly wicket and put in one other scintillating show with the bat from the top-order within the second session to propel their bid for victory.
Joe Root scored 73 and Harry Brook adopted up his preventing century with a 65-ball 87 within the first innings earlier than being bowled by quick bowler Naseem Shah (2-66).
England added a brisk 218 runs within the second session to finish the innings at a speedy run price of seven.4 per over, matching the aggression of their first innings which noticed the guests put up a complete of 657.
Despite the lack of first-innings century-makers Ben Duckett and Ollie Pope, England outlined their plan to set a goal for Pakistan to succeed in 46–2 in seven overs earlier than lunch.
Pakistan’s inexperienced bowling sources had been additional depleted when debutant quick bowler Haris Rauf couldn’t get better from a strained proper quad and was unable to bowl within the second innings.
Root survived a scare quickly after reaching his half-century when Naseem failed to carry on to a reverse sweep at cowl, earlier than leg-spinner Zahid Mahmood (2-84) dismissed him after which Stokes for a duck in the identical over. completed.
Earlier, offspinner Will Jaques, who was given his Test debut on the final minute after Ben Foakes sat out on account of a viral an infection, took 6-161 on a wicket that favored the bowlers, earlier than Pakistan ultimately Got out
Pakistan’s tail-enders pissed off England for almost 1.5 hours, with Agha Salman hitting 53 off 67 balls after the house group resumed on 499-7.
Salman shared a 57-run partnership with Mahmood (17), who didn’t play a false shot regardless of being surrounded by no less than six England fielders close to the bat for many of his time on the crease.
Salman efficiently overturned the leg of on-field umpire Joe Wilson earlier than the choice through a tv referral, simply earlier than finishing his half-century.
TV replays recommended that Jack had pitched the ball outdoors the road of leg stump when the batsman tried a reverse sweep however the ball missed the road and hit the entrance pad.
Salman introduced up his second Test half-century by hitting left-arm spinner Jack Leach over cowl earlier than edging Jack to single slip. Leach bowled a lot of the overs with Jack and ended with 2–190.
The injured Rauf (12) hung in with Mahmood and added 22 earlier than Jack dismissed each batsmen to wrap up the innings.
With inputs from TheIndianEXPRESS
