ACE WOAKES LORD’S IT AS PAKISTAN ARE PEGGED BACK
CHRIS Woakes’ Test wickets are arriving “like London buses” at Lord’s. It was the man himself who made the appropriate comparison, after taking his match haul to 11 for 101 as England stayed in with a chance against Pakistan in the first Investec Test.
The visitors extended their lead to 281, with a stumps total of 214 for eight on day three – leaving England to contemplate their ground-record chase if they are to prevail.
Woakes admitted to a minor embarrassment when he came back to take two more wickets late in the day, after Steven Finn had gone without success at the other end – with two catches dropped off his bowling.
He told Sky Sports: “I apologised to him, because I came on and picked up a couple of cheap ones – and he’d bowled really well and deserved a couple if not more.
“But that’s the way it works. Sometimes they come along like London buses – obviously, as in this game.”
Woakes insisted others deserved credit too, for keeping England in the game after they had been bowled out for only 272 – principally by Yasir Shah (six for 72).
“I’ve managed to get the majority of the wickets today, but at the same time everyone was building the pressure at both ends,” he said.
“It is crucially important, to bowl in partnerships, and we did that really well.” England will have to bat much better, however, in their second innings.
“[Yasir] took six in the first innings, so he’s obviously a threat – his record would suggest that,” added Woakes.
“We’ll have to play him better than we did in the first innings. We didn’t feel we batted well as a unit – we were potentially 100 light.”
Pakistan coach Mickey Arthur still fancies his team’s chances of going 1-0 up.
He said: “If we can sneak ourselves 300, with a gun leg-spinner like Yasir Shah bowling into a little bit of rough that’s been created, I think it’s going to be a very good Test match.”
Woakes’ outstanding 10-over spell either side of lunch might easily have been rewarded with more than two wickets – to add to his career-best six for 70 in the first innings – and by the close he had added another five for 31.
His skill and discipline did most to claw back Pakistan’s advantage, as they reached stumps with an overall lead of 281 in an enthralling contest which seems sure to go to the wire – if not quite the full five-day distance.
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, but with swing available and on a pitch offering a little variable bounce, 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.
Azhar Ali joined Shan Masood to help the tourists to 40 for one at lunch – but 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, umpire’s call working in England’s favour after Woakes brought one up the slope.
Woakes and Broad had dried up the scoring opportunities to a bare trickle, and Misbah-ul-Haq decided the correct response was to get after Moeen Ali.
What worked in his first innings century, however, immediately backfired second time round as he fell for a second-ball duck – very well caught by Alex Hales on the deep midwicket boundary after climbing into an ambitiously early slog-sweep at the offspinner. Pakistan had lost three wickets for 16, and were vulnerable – but Younus Khan dug in, and rode his luck. To Younus and partner Shafiq’s credit, a stand of 69 extended into the evening session.