England continued to press the benefit over Pakistan in the second day of the ultimate check in Sharjah, as they rolled to 222/4 at stumps.
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The England captain was one run short of his 46th Test fifty when he tried to glance a delivery from the leg-spinner only to deflect it onto his pads for Azhar Ali to take a catch at forward short-leg.
James Taylor, who was the first to depart on the third day, remained the top-scorer for the tourists with a 161-ball 76, with impressive contributions coming in from the likes of Alastair Cook (49), Jonny Bairstow (43) Samit Patel (42) and Ian Bell (40).
Joe Root made just 4 before being caught behind the stumps off Rahat Ali as England slumped to 97-3.
The diminutive middle-order batsman, cast adrift by the selectors after three innings against the might of South Africa in summer 2012, arrived at the crease following the loss of two wickets for seven runs in this must-win third Test.
In the company of Bell, he first absorbed the Pakistan pressure, then gradually accumulated in the busy, energetic style that has brought him success in England’s one-day side.
Bell fell in the second over after the tea break when he gave Shah the charge.
“It’s been a real tough wicket to bat on”.
“He clearly trusts and believes in his game”.
Taylor, 25, has just returned to the Test set-up, playing in his first match in over three years, having last done so in August, 2012.
England went into lunch at 87 for 1 but soon after Cook edged one to short leg.
“It’s not about what it looked like, but trying to get the job done”.
Pakistan’s spin twins of Yasir Shah, the legspinner, and Zulfiqar Babar, the left-arm spinner, were as threatening as ever, and always looked like taking wickets.
Former England skipper Michael Vaughan said: “I’d say he’s going to be a fixture in the Test team now”.
“Countless times the ball has gone past the outside edge”.
England hit back when Ali was run out in a mixup with Hafeez before James Anderson had Shoaib Malik lbw for a duck and Younis Khan (14) was also adjudged lbw while offering no shot to Stuart Broad late in the last session.
“It has already been decided he will be unable to bowl or field for the remainder of the match but if circumstances dictate, he may bat”. He admitted to being “gutted” he had thrown away a third good start on this tour and there was a sense of the changing of the guard as he batted with Taylor. “I don’t understand England keeping him as an opener”.
He added: “Whatever lead we get will put us in a good position”.
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Pakistan had mixed fortunes in the first session.
