After an English quartet hammered lots of on Friday, a trio of residence batters helped themselves to centuries to energy Pakistan to 499/7 on Day 3.
Agha Salman was batting on 10 with Zahid Mahmood on one on the different finish when unhealthy mild stopped play, with Pakistan nonetheless 158 behind England’s huge first innings whole of 657.
England batsman Joe Root informed Sky Sports activities afterwards: “A superb day. That final session, all of the work we put in got here to fruition.
Babar Azam. (AP Picture)
“It was attritional. We needed to be artistic all through the day and we acquired our rewards on the finish,” he mentioned.
Batting information continued to tumble on the placid pitch, nevertheless, with all 4 openers hitting lots of within the first innings of a Check match for the primary time.
Resuming on 181 for no loss, openers Imam-ul-Haq (121) and Abdullah Shafique (114) duly introduced up their lots of earlier than England struck with their spinners.
Imam and Shafique’s 225-run collaboration practically matched the 233-run opening stand Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett had cast for England.
After 65 overs of denying England a breakthrough, the Pakistan openers, nevertheless, fell in fast succession.
Abdullah grew to become Will Jacks’ (3-132) first Check sufferer after making an attempt a minimize shot and as an alternative deflecting the ball into Ollie Pope’s ready gloves.
Abdullah’s third check hundred included 13 fours and three sixes.
Jack Leach eliminated Imam by luring the left-hander into stepping out solely to search out Ollie Robinson at lengthy on.
Imam smashed 15 fours and two sixes in his third Check hundred — all three of which have come at Rawalpindi.
Azhar Ali (27) acquired an additional life on 20 when Crawley spilled him at leg slip however couldn’t capitalise and fell lbw to Leach a short time later.
Babar was rock stable as standard. His England counterpart Ben Stokes tried to bounce him out on an unresponsive pitch and Babar had no drawback pulling him repeatedly.
He finally introduced up his eighth check hundred and first in opposition to England with a 4 off Stokes, making somewhat prayer earlier than resuming batting.
England claimed 4 wickets within the remaining session to keep up their higher hand.
Robinson dismissed Saud Shakeel (37) within the first over after tea and Babar was the subsequent to go, fluffing a minimize shot in opposition to Jacks. Babar’s 136 was studded with 19 fours and a six.
“We have now three massive wickets to soak up the morning, then we’ll try to crash some round and rise up to an inexpensive whole,” England’s Root mentioned.
Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Ramiz Raja has described the state of the pitch at Rawalpindi as “embarrassing”, blaming it on the shortage of Check matches performed there.
