Woakes keeps England in game
PAKISTAN finished the third day of the first test at Lord’s in a strong position after Yasir Shah took six wickets as England were dismissed for 272.
The visitors then reached 214/8 in their second innings, giving them a lead of 281.
Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq followed his first innings hundred with a duck. Pakistan had never previously lost a test when Misbah had made a hundred and never won one when he had made a duck.
England now need to at least equal their record fourth-inning score to win a test at Lord’s of 282/3 against New Zealand in 2004 if they are to go 1-0 up in this four-match series.
Sarfraz Ahmed (45) and Shah, promoted from his first innings position of No 11, frustrated England in a seventh-wicket stand of 40.
Both batsmen were dropped off the luckless Steven Finn as the fast bowler went wicketless on his home ground. Shah was on two when he chipped Finn out onto the offside and a diving Stuart Broad just failed to cling on to a tough low chance.
But Ahmed should have been out for 36 when Finn took the outside only for wicketkeeper Jonny Bairstow, going to his right, to drop the chance as the ball hit his wrist.
Chris Woakes took 5/31 as England tried to limit the damage of losing their last three wickets for 12 runs in the morning session when they added only 19 runs to their overnight score.
Woakes removed Sarfraz, caught behind by Bairstow, having earlier bowled Shafiq out.
Shortly before the close, he had Wahab Riaz caught behind for a duck to give England a glimmer of hope tomorrow. Moeen Ali also took two wickets. Woakes already has 11 wickets for 101 runs in the match — the second-best match figures of an England player in this decade.
It could all be in vain though as Pakistan are in the driving seat, albeit still a few runs short of the total they would ideally have posted second time around.
England had resumed on 253/7 in reply to Pakistan’s 339 all out, but Yasir’s leg spin outfoxed the hosts.
His figures of 6/72 were the best recorded by a visiting spinner against England at Lord’s since Sid Pegler’s 7/65 for South Africa 104 years ago.
Stuart Broad only managed to add six runs to his overnight total before he fell to a full inswinger from Wahab.
The 30-year-old Yasir then trapped Steve Finn leg-before for five and, with no reviews left, he had no choice but to walk.
Debutant Jake Ball was run out by Shan Masood as he looked for a second run to keep Woakes on strike but was short by some distance as Pakistan wrapped up the England tail.
Ball had sliced his second ball behind square leg with an outside edge to record his first test runs.
Woakes was left unbeaten on 35. —