Mohammad took the other two wickets for 80.
Advertisement
Moeen, new to the crease, advanced to the leg-spinner’s fourth delivery, trying to smash him into St John’s Wood. England’s No. 6 and No. 7 have made 1828 runs at an average of 76.16, including an innings of 7 by Steve Finn against Sri Lanka at Lord’s earlier this year.
A little less than a month later, and with England now leading the series 2-1, the story is a little different.
So far in this Test, despite a false start, England are looking good again as they bid for a 3-1 series victory.
And while nobody attached blame to him for the second, the England man hammering the ball straight at him at short leg, Moeen took the gift gratefully and middle everything else that came his way.
Batting with lesser batsmen is a peculiar talent with the more skilled practitioner asked to come up with the ideal balance between, trust, risk, reward and timing.
The ball sails into the crowd at deep midwicket.
The profits for England were Bairstow’s third half-century in his last four Test innings, and a third in succession for Moeen on the stroke of tea. At Lord’s, Moeen’s contribution hastened defeat.
James Anderson helped Moeen to his century with a last-wicket stand of 32.
Returning to the line-up after missing the third Test, a fired up Wahab Riaz (3-93) bowled the fastest spell of the series as Sohail Khan picked up another five-wicket haul (5-68).
Stuart Broad rounded off a better second half of the day for England when he had Sami Aslam LBW with the score on three, a decision rightfully upheld on review.
“I don’t really feel that sort of pressure”, he said. Wahab Riaz also chipped in with three wickets.
Amir was bowling well too from the pavilion end, but his reward would not come – and when Azhar put down a straightforward slip chance, with Moeen on nine, the left-armer kicked the ground in understandable frustration. So Moeen had some luck – but he sure made the most of it. Live coverage of day two begins on Sky Sports 2 at 10.30am on Friday.
Dropped on nine and 13, Moeen made 108, Jonny Bairstow 55 and Chris Woakes 45 as England rallied from 110-5.
It seems churlish to mention that Moeen’s primary job is as the senior spin bowler – and he has yet to prove he is up to it at the highest level. He went on to dismiss the out-of-form James Vince in his very next over as England went into lunch at 92 for 4.
Vince’s days look numbered.
His wicket was the fourth to fall.
Bairstow earned a reprieve on 13 when he was caught off a Wahab no-ball, but the bowler was soon celebrating when Gary Ballance (8) was caught at third slip.
“It was a great day in the end, we’d take 320”. Bairstow drove a wide ball from Wahab into the hands of point – but Wahab had overstepped. At the time the press-box chatter was how, with the field spread, he might winkle out the necessary runs.
Advertisement
When Bairstow fell having reached his fifty off 73 balls with seven fours – the Yorkshireman caught behind off Amir by Sarfraz Ahmed after inside-edging a drive – Woakes produced the most fluent innings of the day, scoring at close to a run-a-ball thanks to eight fours.
