Set to chase 283 for a victory, after Stuart Broad cleaned up the Pakistan tail for the addition of just a solitary run in the morning, England lost their top-three for under 50 runs.
Advertisement
Ball was last out when he was just short of his ground trying to get back for a Woakes two to the first ball of a Wahab over.
“My sex and drugs shame – by Chris Woakes”, is among the least likely newspaper headlines you will ever read!
He has put on a yard of pace during the past two years and he is finally showing his ability with the bat at Test level. Offspinner Moeen Ali got the big wicket of Misbah-ul-Haq for a duck as the Pakistan captain was smartly snapped by a running Alex Hales close to the midwicket boundary.
As the tourists extended their lead on day three at the home of cricket, England coach Trevor Bayliss would doubtless have been anxious with each run that added to an increasingly tricky fourth-innings chase. “Hopefully we can play much better in the second innings”.
If he performed ten press-ups for reaching a century in the first innings, he should do a thousand now as a punishment. He is the most technically-correct player in the team and even though he has an impressive Test record already, runs away from the pitches of the UAE would do so much to strengthen his reputation and help him emerge from the shadows of Misbah and Younus. Ahmed and Shah then combined in an eventful 40-run stand. “Yasir is always attacking the stumps so, as a batter, you feel like you’ve got to play, but he does bowl bad balls as well”.
Fellow opener Shan Masood edged Woakes to Alastair Cook for 24, after being deceived by his change of swing from in to out to the left-hander.
It was a hot-headed shot by the normally unflappable, veteran skipper.
He survived two DRS looks and plenty of other hairy moments before dragging onto his stumps for 25, eked out from 95 deliveries.
Asad Shafiq struck a well-made 49 before, in sight of his second fifty of the match, he was bowled by a Woakes “trimmer”.
And Woakes wasn’t quite finished. Woakes made it eleven as Wahab Riaz gloved through to Jonny Bairstow for a duck.
England’s problems in the first innings stemmed largely from Yasir’s control.
Pakistan’s Yasir Shah, center facing, celebrates taking the wicket of England’s Steven Finn on day three of the Investec Test match at Lord’s, London, Saturday July 16, 2016.
Woakes looked calm and untroubled throughout his innings and would take centre stage once more when England bowled.
Advertisement
The possible return of James Anderson and Ben Stokes should give England added threat in the second Test at Old Trafford starting on Friday, but it will not be Woakes who makes way.
