In first innings, England had struggled against Pakistan's spinners, being all out for 267 runs at Rawalpindi ground
RAWALPINDI: (UrduPoint/Pakistan Point News-Oct 24th, 2024) Pakistan made 151 runs against loss of five wickets on the second day of the third Test match against England.
The match is underway at the Rawalpindi cricket Stadium.
This is the third and final Test of the series, with both teams having won one match each in Multan. The team that wins this decisive Test will lift the trophy.
In the first innings, England struggled against Pakistan's spinners, being all out for 267 runs.
Second Day
Pakistan resumed their innings on the second day at 73 runs for the loss of 3 wickets. Captain Shan Masood and vice-captain Saud Shakeel both started the day with scores of 16 runs.
First Day
Earlier, in the third Test match, English captain Ben Stokes won the toss and opted to bat first. England began their innings with openers Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley, who provided a solid start of 56 runs.
However, Zak Crawley was dismissed for 29 runs, caught by Saim Ayub off Nauman Ali's bowling. Middle-order batter Ollie Pope contributed only 3 runs before being LBW to Sajid Khan.
After losing two quick wickets, experienced batter Joe Root came to the crease but managed only 5 runs before being LBW to Sajid Khan as well.
England faced their fourth loss with Ben Duckett, who scored 52 runs before returning to the pavilion. Aggressive batter Harry Brook was also dismissed cheaply for just 5 runs, bowled by Sajid Khan.
Captain Ben Stokes contributed 12 runs, while Rehan Ahmed and Jack Leach scored 6 and 16 runs, respectively.
England's seventh-wicket partnership between Gus Atkinson and Jamie Smith was notable, yielding 107 runs. However, Atkinson was dismissed after a resilient innings of 39 runs, and Jamie Smith later returned to the pavilion after scoring 91 runs.
For Pakistan, Sajid Khan took 6 wickets, Nauman Ali claimed 3, and Zahid Mahmood picked up 1 wicket.
Pakistan’s innings:
Following England's dismissal, Pakistan began their first innings with Abdullah Shafique and Saim Ayub. However, this opening partnership didn't last long, with Abdullah Shafique getting out for 14 runs at a total of 35.
The second wicket fell at a total of 43 runs when Saim Ayub was dismissed for 19 runs. Kamran Ghulam followed shortly after, out for just 3 runs, leaving the score at 46.
Toss:
Earlier, English captain Ben Stokes had chosen to bat first after winning the toss, stating their aim to set a big score against the Green Shirts and apply pressure on the opposing team.
Pakistan's captain, Shan Masood, commented that winning the toss is not always in their favor. He expressed that they would also prefer to bat first if given the choice, but the team would aim to take early wickets through their spinners.
There were no changes to the national squad for this decisive Test match. The same team that won the second Test in Multan is taking the field, with three specialist spinners—Nauman Ali, Zahid Mahmood, and Sajid Khan—in action.
Playing XI:
Pakistan: Captain Shan Masood, Vice-Captain Saud Shakeel, Saim Ayub, Abdullah Shafique, wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan, Kamran Ghulam, Salman Ali Agha, Aamer Jamal, Nauman Ali, Zahid Mahmood and Sajid Khan.
England: Rehan Ahmed, Jack Leach, and Shoaib Bashir, Captain Ben Stokes, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook and fast bowler Gus Atkinson.
