Wonderful Woakes is unable to stem tide
ENGLAND will need to make history if they are going to win the first Test after a compelling third day ended with Pakistan moving slowly but surely towards what looks like a match-winning advantage.
Pakistan will resume today on 214 for eight, a lead of 281, and ready to unleash Yasir Shah on England for a second time after Chris Woakes did everything in his power to keep England in the hunt.
Woakes, who is maturing into a considerable Test performer, took five wickets to add to the six he claimed in the first innings to lead the England attack in the controversial absence of Jimmy Anderson.
However, the tourists showed major discipline and application to make themselves firm favourites to take an unexpected 1-0 lead.
First, Pakistan earned themselves a priceless first-innings advantage of 67 by quickly taking the last three England wickets, leaving Woakes stranded on 35, and then they took full advantage of an attack relying heavily on their unlikely spearhead.
What a gripping day’s Test cricket this was and how refreshing it is to have a genuine contest after the one-sided series England played out against Sri Lanka in front of largely empty stands at Headingley and Durham.
The middle session in particular was everything Test cricket should be, with England straining every sinew to make inroads and Pakistan skilfully hanging on before calmly building a formidable lead.
Only 71 runs were scored between lunch and tea, with England taking three big wickets, but the 28,000 at Lord’s were treated to high-quality drama that also featured the best and worst of umpiring and the Decision Review System.
When Misbah-ul-Haq, the first-innings centurion, lofted only his second ball high and wide to the running Alex Hales on the mid-wicket boundary, Pakistan had slipped to 60 for four and England were sensing the tables turning.
The Pakistan captain was determined to hit Moeen Ali out of the attack, as he had done first time round, but the indecent haste with which he tried to clear the ropes was punished by an excellent catch and England were in business.
If the idiosyncratic Younis Khan had fallen soon after, firstly being reprieved by a superb piece of officiating and then being rescued by technology from a lamentable decision, Pakistan really would have been in big trouble.
Woakes had been denied the new ball despite his six-wicket first-innings haul but as soon as he was introduced by Alastair Cook, he again became the most impressive of England’s bowlers.
It was Woakes who began that middle session in the best possible way for England when he dismissed Shan Masood in the first over after lunch.
Woakes also claimed the wicket of Azhar Ali, falling to a marginal lbw for the second time in the match.
Younis had lived dangerously before gifting Moeen his second wicket when he under-edged an attempted cut and England still had a sniff when Woakes bowled Asad Shafiq.
But the hosts really had to dismiss Pakistan before the close and heads began to drop when a diving Stuart Broad could not hold on to a lob to mid-off by Yasir Shah and then Jonny Bairstow dropped Sarfraz Ahmed.
Bairstow did much to make amends when he claimed Sarfraz to give Woakes his 10th wicket of the Test and the Warwickshire all-rounder reached another five-for just before the close by brushing Wahab Riaz’s glove. But the smiling Yasir is still there on 30 and is sure to be the key man when Pakistan bowl again.
Odds very much on Pakistan wrapping this up, quite possibly by tonight. And that would leave England with everything to do in a Test series they were expected to win comfortably.