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STOKES IS GRATEFUL FOR JACKS’ GOLDEN ARM

England prise a late opening, but are they good enough to take advantage?

From Lawrence Booth WISDEN EDITOR IN RAWALPINDI

TEST matches can come to life quickly in this part of the world, no matter how dead the pitch. And on the third evening of this historic series, England were grateful for the phenomenon.

At 473 for four in reply to the tourists’ 657, Pakistan were contemplating a first-innings lead, and the chance to cause their visitors discomfort in their first Test here for 17 years.

But three late wickets — two for Will Jacks in his first Test, one for Jimmy Anderson in his 176th — left Ben Stokes’s side with a spring in their step as the gloom descended and a crowd of 10,000 drifted home.

Both he and coach Brendon McCullum spoke in advance of knowing when to pounce on sleepy surfaces, and the players were clearly paying attention. England’s next step is to turn their advantage into victory.

Crucially, the late flurry of wickets began with Babar Azam, captain and national treasure, who had moved to 138 with the inevitability of the sunset call to prayer, and looked set for many more.

Instead, Jacks found turn and bounce, cramping him for room. Losing control of an attempted cut, Babar picked out Jack Leach at backward point. England were jubilant.

Next over, it was the turn of Anderson (right). Charging in from round the wicket — one of many tactics tried on a day that demanded innovation as much as grit — he persuaded Mohammad

Rizwan to drive low to short mid-wicket, where Stokes took the catch, before hurling the ball skywards in delight.

Anderson’s 668th Test wicket was his first in this country — having conceded just 47 from 20 overs, he deserved nothing less. When Naseem Shah lofted Jacks to long-on, where Leach held a good running catch, Pakistan had lost three for 24.

At stumps, they were 499 for seven, still trailing by 158. Such was the pace with which England scored in their first innings, there is still time for a result.

For much of the day, the narrative had been as expected, with Pakistan grinding England into the Rawalpindi dirt. And if they could not match their opponent’s run-rate of 6.50, then their own 3.66 was hardly sluggish.

England plugged away with the resolve you would expect of a team led by Stokes, though they weren’t helped by the continued absence of Liam Livingstone’s spin. After jarring a knee on the second day, he aggravated the injury before play on the third. He is expected to bat again, if needed, though he faces a battle to recover in time for the rest of the series.

But, on a pitch that has drawn criticism even from Ramiz Raja, the

chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board, England spent the day feeding off crumbs, and Babar cemented his status as one of the world’s classiest batsman. That followed hundreds for both openers, as Abdullah Shafique and Imam-ul-Haq carried on where they left off here against Australia in March.

Back then, they had finished a dismal draw with a stand of 252. Now, they put on 225 — Pakistan’s highest partnership for the first wicket against England, and the first time in Test history both teams had enjoyed a double-century opening stand in their first innings, following the opening-day exploits of Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett.

The Pakistanis were eventually parted when Shafique presented Jacks with his first Test wicket, edging a wide one into the gloves of Ollie Pope. Five overs later, Imam miscued the persevering Leach to long-on, where Ollie Robinson back-pedalled, judging the catch nicely.

Leach’s next contribution was less orthodox, as he allowed Joe Root to rub the ball across his forehead, soaking up the sweat of England’s most folically challenged player. If he was trying to shine it in an attempt to try anything to get a wicket, you could hardly blame him.

Even after the removal of both openers, Pakistan approached lunch on 290 for two, at which point

Leach, given the second new ball ahead of the seamers, hurried one on to the pads of Azhar Ali.

Babar, though, settled down after the break as if determined to mark out his territory. His eighth Test hundred came when he carted Stokes through the off side for his 13th four, drawing an ovation from a good-natured crowd.

England were buoyed by a wicket in the first over after tea, when Saud Shakeel flashed at Robinson and was caught behind for 37. But as Babar and Rizwan, Pakistan’s white-ball opening pair, added a swift 60, it was tempting to wonder what twists remained.

Jacks and Anderson provided them, as a game meandering nowhere in particular took a late — and possibly decisive — change of direction.

Cricket

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2022-12-04T08:00:00.0000000Z

2022-12-04T08:00:00.0000000Z

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