Yasir Shah helps Pakistan advance on day 3, but England fights back

Day three ended chaotically for Pakistan – their second inning is tattered at 137 of 8. But in the larger frame, the tourists are still ahead in the match, after they held the hosts to 219 in the first inning, thanks in large part to Yasir. Shah’s four wickets and closed the night with a cumulative 244-run lead. The leg shooter would once again be his favorite man when England begins the chase in the fourth inning.

If not Shah, the destroyer could be any of the Pakistani bowler crew.

This is supposedly the generation of batting technocrats, of their jumping ambitions and cutting edge craftsmanship. But this is also the era of bowling packages; Australia has an exemplary fast pitcher hub complemented by the exceptional off-piste Nathan Lyon. India has arguably the most powerful set of bowlers in its history. As well as being a quality spinner, England has also nurtured a match-winning group, as they demonstrated once again on Friday night when their team was on the brink. Pakistan can also boast of an excellent group with various skills.

Through tall Shaheen Shah Afridi’s left-arm angle and swing, Mohammad Abbas’s precision and sewing movement, Naseem Shah’s ability to increase devilish speed and Yasir Shah, tying one end and still attacking in the process. , almost all bases. it is covered. And on days like these, when they function collectively, there is much to enjoy and admire about Pakistan.

If Shah emerged as the most successful bowler in Pakistan and did so with fabulous control and cunning, it could have been anyone’s day. Abbas’s morning outburst was unsuccessfully masterful. He repeatedly beat Jos Buttler’s breakthrough attempts with a fractional sewing motion and clever change of angles. Afridi proved that he could switch from a mid-80s workhorse to a 90mph crash bowler without a discernible change in action.

Naseem picked up the pace and married it sharply. He bought more bounce of good length than his colleagues. One of those deliveries consumed Ollie Pope, England’s best hitter so far in this Test. Compact in technique and cool in his head, even he couldn’t deny an inevitable blow as the teen roared the ball. It might as well have caught him earlier in the day when a heartbreaking delivery slid past Pope’s outer edge. Or when it opened wide in the fold and curved a swinger like support. But in most cases, the Pope was well equipped to deal with him.

Life-giving passage

It was the most exhilarating passage of the day: a young, exciting hitter meeting a rookie. Pope had secured the fight Thursday, stroking him by four limits, but Shah won the knockout on Friday. But this could just be the beginning of an era-defining rivalry. Pope was gutted because he fell just at a time when England seemed to have waded safely through the choppy waters. So this is the damage that pure rhythm can inflict. You can hit without anyone noticing and turn the matches.

From then on, it was the usual story of England hitters trying, unfortunately, to decode the leg twist, as they had done for centuries. Eight balls in the second session, Shah landed his wrong shot through Buttler’s defense, before finding Dom Bess’s bat shoulder with an extra bounce. Chris Woakes was knocked out by a fin that he tried to pull. Had Stuart Broad not been free – adding 49 runs with Jofra Archer and James Anderson – England would have ended up giving up a sizable lead and chasing a losing cause.

Later, when it was England’s turn, they put into animated shifts to keep Pakistan’s progress in check. Especially the discreet Woakes, who appreciated the prized scalps of Babar Azam and Azhar Ali, the pillars of the middle order of Pakistan. A delicious leg cutter dislodged Azam while Ali played with an in-ducker. It connected commendably, combining precision and movement with a bit of bounce. Subsequently, Pakistan lost its last four wickets for 36 races. If England is still in the party, they probably owe it to Woakes and Co.

Short scores: Pakistan 326 and 137/8 (A Shafiq 29; C Woakes 2/11, B Stokes 2/11, S Broad 2/23) lead England 219 (O Pope 62, J Buttler 38; Y Shah 4/66) by 244 careers