ENGLAND TAKE FOUR WICKETS TO PUT BRAKES ON PAKISTAN

SHARJAH: England grabbed four wickets with the second new ball including Mohammad Hafeez for 151 as they continue to press for a series-levelling win in the third and final Test in Sharjah on Wednesday.

Pakistan lost Yasir Shah (four) in the last over before tea and were 319-8 with Asad Shafiq unbeaten on 31. They now have an overall lead of 247 with just three wickets left on the fourth day at Sharjah stadium. England trail the threematch series 1-0 after losing the second Test in Dubai while the first Test ended in a draw in Abu Dhabi.

Shafiq and Sarfraz Ahmed (38) added 55 for the seventh wicket before spinner Samit Patel gave England the much needed breakthrough 15 minutes before tea when he bowled the Pakistani wicket-keeper with a sharp turner.

But James Anderson, regarded as England’s safest fielder, dropped Shafiq on 29 off Patel to hit England’s chances of wrapping up the innings early.

England took the second new ball after 81 overs with Pakistan at a lunch score of 229-4 and paceman Stuart Broad struck in the fifth over, trapping Pakistan skipper Misbah-ul-Haq leg before.

Misbah hit two fours and a six and became Broad’s 50th wicket in the calendar year in 13th Test, the best in 2015. Misbah and Hafeez added an invaluable 93 runs for the fifth wicket.

Hafeez, dropped by Broad off his own bowling when on 113, he drove Anderson for two to complete the 150-mark, his 4th 150 plus in all Tests but a run later holed out to spinner Moeen Ali at long-on where Ian Bell took a simple catch.

Hafeez batted for 380 minutes, faced 266 balls and hit 15 boundaries and three sixes. With Hafeez’s catch Bell became the eighth English fielder to take 100 plus catches in Test cricket. This is his 118th match. Anderson and Broad have two wickets apiece. It was a battle of survival for Pakistan in the morning session as England looked for early wickets to force a series-levelling win.