Will Jacks has bowled 33 overs on his debut Test so far
Will Jacks has bowled 33 overs on his debut Test so far| First Test, Rawalpindi (day three of five) |
| England 657 all out: Brook 153, Crawley 122, Pope 108, Duckett 107 |
| Pakistan 499-7: Babar 136, Imam 121, Shafique 114, Jacks 3-132 |
| Pakistan trail by 158 runs |
| Scorecard |
England’s determination and persistence was rewarded with crucial late wickets on the third day of the first Test against Pakistan.
In back-breaking conditions on a lifeless pitch in Rawalpindi, the tourists looked set to be frustrated by a classy century from home captain Babar Azam.
But when Babar slashed Will Jacks to point to depart for 132, James Anderson followed up by removing Mohammed Rizwan, before debutant Jacks had Naseem Shah caught at deep mid-wicket.
That gave off-spinner Jacks 3-132 and put Pakistan on 499-7 at the close, still 158 behind.
It was nothing more than England deserved on a day when they tried everything to conjure chances despite the minimal assistance on offer.
Saturday began with Abdullah Shafique and Imam-ul-Haq completing centuries, making this the first Test in history where each opener on both sides has made a hundred in the first innings.
A maiden Test wicket for Jacks and two for Jack Leach left Pakistan 290-3 and gave England an opening.
Then came Babar’s brilliance and the late drama.
England rewarded for long toil
This was a magnificent display by England, just as impressive as their record-breaking exploits in racking up 657 with the bat.
Rawalpindi is a notoriously difficult ground on which to force a result – only 14 wickets fell in the last Test at this venue.
Yet, England are adamant that they do not play to draw – all seven matches in the Ben Stokes-Brendon McCullum era have had a positive result – and their hard work has left them with an excellent chance of victory.
Hampered by the absence of Liam Livingstone, who did not take the field all day because of a knee injury, England’s bowlers never lost their discipline, while Stokes toyed and tinkered with his fields.
They will return refreshed on Sunday, confident of wrapping up the Pakistan tale and securing a sizable lead.
Then, how England go about setting Pakistan a target and leaving themselves enough time to bowl the hosts out again is likely to be thrilling viewing.
Brilliant Babar delights Rawalpindi
Only a handful of spectators were keen enough to turn up on a sedate Saturday morning but, as Babar’s score grew, so too did the crowd.
On the hottest day of the match so far, home fans chanted Babar’s name, often duelling with the trumpeter that tried to keep English spirits high.
While not matching England’s rapid scoring, Babar was the most fluent of the Pakistan centurions. He pounced to pull anything short and eagerly used his feet against the spinners, including hitting Leach for six to bring up his half-century.
He slapped Stokes through the covers to reach the seventh century of the match and undoubtedly the most popular.
So comfortable, Babar looked set to bat on into Sunday. Out of nowhere, he miscued Jacks to point to leave the Pindi Stadium in silence.
It was the first of four wickets to fall for 84 runs, a decisive swing in England’s favour.
More to follow.
