On the third day of the Rawalpindi Test, England was bowled out for 112 runs in their second innings, leaving Pakistan a target of just 36 runs to secure victory. England resumed their innings at 23 for 3, but Pakistani spinners proved too challenging for their lineup to withstand.
Joe Root was England's top scorer with 33 runs, followed by Harry Brook with 26, Ben Duckett with 12, Gus Atkinson and Jack Leach with 10 each, and Rehan Ahmed with 7.
Captain Ben Stokes and Jamie Smith both made 3, while Zak Crawley and Ollie Pope scored 2 and 1 respectively. Shoaib Bashir remained not out at 4 runs.
For Pakistan, Noman Ali led the bowling attack with six wickets, while Sajid Khan claimed four.
Earlier, Pakistan had gained a 77-run lead in their first innings, thanks to resilient batting from Saud Shakeel and the tailenders. Pakistan began the second day with 73 runs for 3 wickets, but middle-order batters struggled to build partnerships with Shakeel. Saud Shakeel scored a brilliant 134, marking his fourth Test century, before falling to Gus Atkinson. Noman Ali (45) and Sajid Khan (48 not out) played crucial knocks, helping Pakistan reach a total of 344.
In England's first innings, they scored 267 runs, with Jamie Smith scoring 89 and Ben Duckett 52. Sensing the opportunity, Pakistan’s spinners excelled, with Sajid Khan taking six wickets, Noman Ali three, and Zahid Mahmood one.
Now, with only 36 runs required to win, Pakistan is on the verge of securing a comfortable victory.
Playing XI
PAKISTAN: Saim Ayub, Abdullah Shafique, Shan Masood (captain), Kamran Ghulam, Saud Shakeel (vice-captain), Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Salman Ali Agha, Aamir Jamal, Noman Ali, Sajid Khan and Zahid MehmoodENGLAND: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (captain), Jamie Smith (wk), Gus Atkinson, Rehan Ahmad, Jack Leach and Shoaib Bashir
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