England all-rounder Ben Stokes is now a doubtful starter for the third Test against Pakistan at Edgbaston after suffering a calf injury on the fourth day of the second Test in Manchester.
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565 is the second biggest target Pakistan has been set in its Test history after 573 by West Indies in Bridgetown in 2005.
After removing his bunny Shan Masood for the sixth time in three Test matches for just one, the Lancashire seamer then trapped Azhar Ali LBW just before the lunch break, to leave the visitors in a perilous position at 47/2.
First Test at Lord’s was won by Pakistan by a margin of 75-runs, with England making a resounding comeback in the second winning by 330 runs.
England, trailing 1-0 in the series after defeat at Lord’s, amassed 589 for eight declared in their first innings with Root scoring 254.
“He bats, bowls and he s a leader in the field – so it is a bit of a hole”.
Cook had courted minor controversy by declining the follow-on option on Sunday with a mere 391-run first-innings lead.
Immediately Pakistan were in trouble as James Anderson (3-41) made an early breakthrough, with Moeen Ali (3-88) also getting in on the act as wickets fell at regular intervals.
Instead, he batted again on the third afternoon and then into the fourth morning before declaring on 173 for one and unleashing his bowlers again in pursuit of a series-levelling win.
“It’s great to see him stepping up to number three and playing with the responsibility there”, said captain Alastair Cook, who made 105 and 76 not out. But Misbah believes Yasir would bounce back stronger in the upcoming match. “We were below average”.
England must get by without Ben Stokes for the pivotal Edgbaston Test – and may face a make-or-break decision next week on the key all-rounder’s fitness for the remainder of the summer.
Doing without Stokes, however, is something England have got used to in a season where he has started only two out of five Tests and has not finished one.
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He told Sky Sports 2: “I think it helps, but I still approach the game in the same way, you still play the same situation of what’s in front of you”.
