Sports News | Pakistan Slips to 136-3 in Pursuit of 355 in 2nd Test
Get latest articles and stories on Sports at LatestLY. England squeezed Pakistan to 136-3 with a relentless seam attack after setting an imposing victory target of 355 on the third day of the second test on Sunday.
Multan, Dec 11 (AP) England squeezed Pakistan to 136-3 with a relentless seam attack after setting an imposing victory target of 355 on the third day of the second test on Sunday.
James Anderson, OIlie Robinson and Mark Wood baffled Pakistan with a superb display of seam and swing bowling on a deteriorating wicket that has given England a chance to take a 2-0 lead in their first test series in Pakistan for 17 years.
Pakistan needs a further 219 runs to keep the three-match series alive and also beat its previous highest-ever successful run-chase in a home test match — 314 against Australia in a one-wicket win at Karachi in 1994.
England took a significant 79-run first-innings lead after Pakistan lost seven wickets for 37 and crumbled for 202 in the first innings.
Two lefthanders — Saud Shakeel and Imam-ul-Haq — survived close chances to go at tea unbeaten on 32 and 25, respectively.
Imam didn't open the innings after feeling discomfort in his right hamstring and went to hospital for MRI scans, but batted without much trouble at No. 5 though Will Jacks had a chance to end his innings but couldn't hold onto a sharp return catch.
Harry Brook also couldn't grab a low one-handed catch at forward short leg when Shakeel was on 4 as England picked up three wickets for 72 runs in the middle session.
Brook had earlier hit his second successive century and made 108 off 149 balls before England was bowled out for 275 to set up another imposing target in the series.
In the absence of Imam, Abdullah Shafique (45) and Mohammad Rizwan (30) batted fluently and provided a confident start of 66 before England's seamers started to pressure the home team after lunch.
James Anderson dismissed Rizwan immediately after the break off a ball that left the righthander just enough to knock back his off stump. Babar Azam (1) struggled for 10 balls against the seamers before he offered no shot to Robinson's sharp incoming delivery and was also clean bowled.
Mark Wood switched ends and went through the defenses of Shafique with a sharp fast delivery as Pakistan slumped to 83-3 before Imam and Shakeel dug in.
Earlier, spinner Abrar Ahmed prospered again and snared a match haul of 11-234, becoming only the second Pakistani after Mohammad Zahid to take 10 wickets on a test debut. Fast bowler Zahid took 11-130 against New Zealand at Rawalpindi in 1996.
Brook continued his rich run of form that helped England win the first test by 74 runs at Rawalpindi, where he hit two belligerent knocks of 153 and 87.
Resuming Sunday on 202-5, already 281 runs ahead, captain Ben Stokes (41) stretched the sixth-wicket stand with Brook to 101 runs as England scored at a brisk pace before losing five wickets for just 19 runs.
Brook, 74 overnight, raised his second hundred with a pulled boundary from left-arm spinner Mohammad Nawaz before Stokes fell to a brilliant running catch by Mohammad Ali at deep mid-wicket.
Ahmed, who took 7-114 in the first innings, claimed his fourth second-innings wicket by having Ollie Robinson clean bowled off a googly before legspinner Zahid Mahmood (3-52) took the last two wickets in one over soon after England's lead crossed the 350-run mark.
Brook, who hit 14 fours and a six, was caught in the outfield when he swept Mahmood to deep square leg and Anderson was trapped leg before wicket. (AP)
(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)