Woakes’s wickets help English cause
THE increasingly impressive Chris Woakes completed a 10- wicket match haul as England battled to stay in touch with Pakistan on a fluctuating third day of the first Investec Test.
Woakes’ outstanding 10- over spell either side of lunch might easily have been rewarded with more than two wickets and by the close he had added another five for 31.
England managed just one morning breakthrough, after losing their own last three wickets to be bowled out for 272 as Yasir Shah took one more to finish with six for 72.
Then in sunny conditions Stuart Broad struck in only his second over when Mohammad Hafeez fenced a catch high to Joe Root at second slip to go for a duck.
Woakes was already posing plenty of problems, and he upped the ante in the afternoon.
He was off-driven for four by Masood but slanted one across the left-hander next ball for an edge to slip off the back foot.
Azhar then fell foul of a marginal DRS process, the umpire’s call working in England’s favour after Woakes brought one up the slope.
Pakistan had lost three wickets for 16, and were vulnerable – but Younus Khan dug in, and rode his luck.
Younus, as ever, belied his expertise with a homespun variety of twitches around the crease into a series of awkward square-on positions.
But he stood between England and a telling surge through Pakistan’s middle order, twice surviving lbw calls on DRS.
It was credit to Younus and Shafiq that their stand of 69 extended into the evening session.
Younus was bowled trying to cut an offbreak which was too full and too close – to go for a highly valuable 25 off 95 balls.
Then the returning Woakes saved the best ball of the day for Shafiq, bowled one short of his 50 by one that nipped up the slope of a perfect length.
Counter-attacking Sarfraz Ahmed had already shown his hand, though – and he and Yasir made England pay for dropping each off the luckless Finn in a partnership of 40.
Yasir had only two when he chipped one to mid-off, where a tumbling Broad could not gather.
England needed Woakes again to see off Sarfraz before the close – Bairstow safe when a second edge came – and he made it five for the innings again when Wahab Riaz looped another behind off the glove.
Woakes finished stranded on an unbeaten 35 as England’s first innings lasted little more than a further half hour on the resumption.
Wahab softened Broad up with two short balls, and then castled him with a yorker. Ball was last out when he was just short of his ground trying to get back for a Woakes two to the first ball of a Wahab over.
In between, Finn pushed forward to Yasir and missed to become the leg-spinner’s fourth lbw victim of the innings.
England will have to play him much better second time round.