Ali ton propels England but Asad leads Pakistan’s reply
England all-rounder hits his third Test ton to pull his team out of trouble
LONDON: Moeen Ali made Pakistan pay for their latest fielding lapses with a century that saw England fight back on the first day of the fourth Test at The Oval on Thursday.
However, Asad Shafiq scored an unbeaten half-century and Azhar Ali made 49 to lead Pakistan’s steady response on Friday.
Ali’s 108 was the cornerstone of England’s 328 all out.
England, 2-1 up in the fourmatch series and bidding to become the world’s top-ranked Test side, collapsed to 74 for four before lunch after captain Alastair Cook won the toss.
They were still struggling at 110 for five when number seven Ali came in and was promptly hit on the helmet first ball as he tried to evade a Wahab Riaz bouncer.
CRUCIAL PARTNERSHIPS
But Ali, dropped on nine and 15, turned the tide in a fifth-wicket stand of 93 with Jonny Bairstow (55) that followed their key partnership of 152 in England’s 141-run win in the third Test at Edgbaston last week.
The off-spinning all-rounder also added 79 in just 86 balls with Chris Woakes (45).
Sohail Khan took five for 68 -- his second five-wicket innings haul in as many Tests -- including a burst of three for six in 13 balls that reduced England to 286 for nine.
At that stage, Ali was still 11 runs shy of a hundred.
But last man James Anderson stuck in for long enough to allow Ali to go to a third hundred in style by dancing down the pitch and lofting leg-spinner Shah for six high over mid-wicket.
“It’s the second time I’ve been hit on the helmet first ball,” Ali told Sky Sports. “(Australia’s) Mitchell Johnson did it to me last year. But I’ve worked on my technique. I’ve stayed calm, and I wasn’t fazed by it all.”
He added: “It was a great day in the end. We’d take 320. It’s going well and when I’ve got good players to bat around, and the tail also all did their job, it makes it easy for me.”
Ali’s third career Test hundred in 30 matches, and second of the season following his 155 not out against Sri Lanka at Chesterle-Street in May, took 140 balls, with 12 fours and two sixes.
Ali was last man out when he was caught in the deep Shah.
At the time of going to press, Pakistan were 196/3 with Asad Shafiq unbeaten on 79 runs and experienced Younis Khan giving him company on 26.
BRIEF SCORES: England 1st innings 328 (Moeen Ali 108, Woakes 45; Sohail Khan 68/5, Wahab Riaz 93/3) versus Pakistan 196/3 (Shafiq 79*, Azhar Ali 49; 1/33)