Babar and Shakeel had combined for a fourth-wicket stand worth 110, batting with control and patience for an hour either side of the lunch interval. Ben Stokes, who had not bowled a ball since the final session of the first Test in Rawalpindi, found a hint of reverse-swing as he grimaced through an eight-over spell but toiled without success.
LAHORE: (UrduPoint/Pakistan Point News-Dec 19th, 2022) Rehan Ahmed broke the third Test open with a three-wicket burst before tea. Held back until the fourth hour of the third day by Ben Stokes, Ahmed broke a determined fourth-wicket partnership by having Babar Azam caught at midwicket, then dismissed Mohammad Rizwan and Saud Shakeel in quick succession to leave Pakistan wobbling at six wickets down.
Jack Leach had struck three times in six balls in the morning session and after Babar and Shakeel had put on 110 together, both reaching half-centuries in the process, Ahmed had a similar impact on the game. He took 3 for 19 in a five-over spell before the interval and will have the opportunity to run through the lower order in the evening session.
Babar and Shakeel had combined for a fourth-wicket stand worth 110, batting with control and patience for an hour either side of the lunch interval. Ben Stokes, who had not bowled a ball since the final session of the first Test in Rawalpindi, found a hint of reverse-swing as he grimaced through an eight-over spell but toiled without success.
It was the introduction of Ahmed, more than three hours into the day's play, that changed the game. He rushed through his first over and when he was punched through cover by Babar in his second, he dragged his next ball down. Babar - who had earlier reached 50 thanks to four overthrows - rocked back and pulled firmly, but somehow picked out Ollie Pope at short midwicket, who could scarcely believe his luck as he took a sharp chance.
Suddenly, both spinners were in the game as Leach returned to bowl in tandem, and Pakistan began to offer chances. Pope, under the helmet at short leg and silly point, was not far away from two defensive shots off Leach which landed agonisingly out of his reach.
Ahmed created another chance when Rizwan punched uppishly to short extra cover, only for Zak Crawley to let a tough, low chance squirm through his grasp, but he was dismissed off the very next ball. He prodded forwards to Ahmed's legbreak, which took the outside edge and was snaffled by Ben Foakes, his 50th catch as a Test wicketkeeper.
Shakeel, who had reached his fourth half-century in his first six Test innings, held the key, but fell shortly before tea to an ill-judged shot. He failed to account for the extra bounce that Ahmed's googly would generate, top-edging a sweep straight to square leg. Suddenly, Pakistan were six down with a lead of just 127.
Earlier, Leach had removed Pakistan's top three in the space of six balls in a chaotic 10-minute spell early on the third morning.
Shan Masood had started with positive intent after battling through the stumps on the second evening and hit the first two balls of the third day for four, slashing Joe Root through the gully and driving him through cover. He skipped down to his fifth ball, chipping him down the ground for four more, and lofted a straight six to prompt an early change, with Leach replacing him after only two overs.
Abdullah Shafique struck a couple of boundaries, taking on Mark Wood's short ball and pulling Pakistan into the lead by finding the gap between fine leg and deep backward square leg, but Leach struck in his second over of the day. Masood, still playing positively, got low to reverse-sweep, but Leach found some turn from a fullish length outside his off stump and Masood could only bottom-edge onto the base of leg.
Azhar Ali was greeted with handshakes by England's fielders but his final innings before his retirement from international cricket was all too brief. His fourth ball was full, pitching on leg stump, but turned sharply away from the bat as he looked to whip wristily through midwicket. It crashed into the top of off stump, and Azhar trudged off through a guard of honour from his team-mates.
Azhar had earlier been presented with a commemorative plaque and a shirt signed by his team-mates before play, and had his family watching in the stands. He finishes his Test career with 7142 runs at 42.26 and 19 hundreds.
At the start of his next over, Leach struck again. He trapped Shafique lbw, sliding one onto his front pad from around the wicket; Shafique didn't review, but ball-tracking technology subsequently predicted that the ball would have hit leg stump halfway up. Shakeel survived the hat-trick ball, but Pakistan were effectively 4 for 3.
Shakeel and Babar opted to dig in before the lunch break, both scoring at a strike rate below 45. They were cautious against Leach, who got the occasional ball to turn, and Robinson, who found some reverse-swing during a five-over burst and struck Shakeel on the helmet with a sharp bouncer.
Babar survived a tight lbw shout on review, having shimmied down and pushed Leach into the off side after the ball had flicked his front pad. England queried Joel Wilson's on-field decision, but Babar was saved by the fact the impact occurred more than three metres from his stumps.
