England regain control to move into the box seat against Pakistan

JONNY Bairstow, Joe Root and Moeen Ali’s half-centuries put England in control of their own destiny against Pakistan at Edgbaston.

Root (62) and James Vince did much of the hardest work on a slow-burn fourth day of the third Investec Test - but Bairstow (82no) and Mooen (60no) also had to dig in to earn the freedom with which they played in a unbroken century stand before stumps.

England’s resulting 414 for five gives them a lead of 311 and the opportunity to dictate the remaining course of this pivotal match, de- pending on Alastair Cook’s sense of adventure in a series poised at 1-1 with one more Test to come at The Oval next week.

England’s openers Cook (66) and Alex Hales (54) managed to add only a combined six runs to the 114 they had at the start of play.

But the top seven would all go on to contribute substantially against disciplined bowling on a slow pitch which still shows no signs of deterioration.

Root and Vince’s dogged partnership of 95 in 36 overs was important, and so too was the more entertaining evening enterprise of Bairstow and Moeen - whose 132 in 27.3 surely put the match out of Pakistan’s reach for the first time.

England resumed in fine batting conditions. But the opening stand, which had already wiped out a first-innings deficit of 103, was to be short-lived.

The captain fell to a diving catch by Yasir Shah off Sohail Khan, one of his poked drives looping within the clutches of the man at point to end a partnership of 126.

Then in the next over, Hales went too - pushing out at a drive and

edging Mohammad Amir low to second slip.

England were effectively 23 for two, and in potential trouble again.

Root and Vince could not afford to take any chances, and a stalemate developed as Pakistan too refused to chase the game - their seamers holding the ball outside off-stump and Yasir keeping a much tighter line.

There were four successive maidens before Vince squeezed two runs wide of slip off Yasir, and then followed up next ball by whipping the leg-spinner through midwicket for four.

Root spent 19 balls stuck on 25. The Yorkshireman was hampered by back trouble, his occupational hazard, and needed to take pain-killers as he and Vince kept Pakistan at bay until mid-afternoon.

Root had his 50 by then but paid eventually for revisiting the sweep shot out of the leg-side rough against Yasir round the wicket, lobbing an unmissable catch to short fine-leg to end an earnest 123-ball innings which contained eight fours.

Vince had been a study in risk avoidance yet, with a maiden Test 50 tantalisingly close, he fell to Amir’s first delivery with the second new ball.

England’s progress remained slow, and when Gary Ballance was fifth out - deflecting a Yasir leg-break straight to leg slip - the lead was still well under 200. Bairstow passed his 50 from 83 balls - and after getting himself going by using his feet to Yasir, Moeen needed only 64 to reach the milestone.

Cook will need to do his sums, but the likelihood is that there will be half-an-hour’s batting at most on the final morning before England try to test Pakistan.