(Reuters) – Jamie Smith smashed a counter-attacking 89 before England’s bowlers made early inroads into the Pakistan lineup to drag the touring side back into the deciding third and final test yesterday.
England captain Ben Stokes’s decision to bat first appeared to have backfired as his team lost the top half of their batting order in the morning session of the opening day.
They were reeling at 118-6 when Smith combined in a 105-run stand with Gus Atkinson (39) to revive their fortunes and help England to a competitive 267 all out.
Pakistan suffered a top-order meltdown of their own and finished the day on 73-3, still 194 behind.
Home captain Shan Masood and Saud Shakeel, both on 16, will resume today hoping to regain some of the ground they conceded after a brilliant start to the match.
The hosts were indebted to their frontline spinners Sajid Khan (6-128) and Noman Ali (3-88) who wrecked England’s top order after openers Ben Duckett (52) and Zak Crawley had shared a 56-run opening stand.
Pakistan attacked with spin from both ends via Sajid and Noman, who shared all 20 England wickets in their series-levelling victory in Multan and bowled a combined 42 consecutive overs together.
Pakistan did not use a third bowler in the morning session and Aamer Jamal, their lone seamer, did not bowl in the England innings in a fair indication of how spin-friendly the wicket is.
Left-arm spinner Noman drew first blood when he tempted Crawley (29) into a false drive and England vice-captain Ollie Pope (three) fell to Sajid for the third time in three innings after fluffing a sweep shot. Sajid delivered a body blow when he trapped Joe Root, currently the top-ranked test batter, lbw for five with a sharply turning ball.
Duckett got a reprieve when Noman spilled a return catch but the spinner dismissed the left-hander lbw in the same over with a delivery that kept low.
Sajid’s trademark thigh-slap celebration was on display again when he bowled Harry Brook (five) who looked ill at ease against the turning ball.
England risked folding for under 150 after Stokes’s dismissal but Smith counter-attacked and Atkinson proved a perfect foil.
Smith, who smashed six sixes in his belligerent knock, fell short of his second test hundred after failing to execute a slog sweep in the final over before tea.
Pakistan began cautiously but England off-spinner Shoaib Bashir dismissed Abdullah Shafique for 14, while Jack Leach accounted for Saim Ayub.
England got another boost in the final session when Atkinson bowled Kamran Ghulam who made a hundred on his test debut in Multan.
