Saturday’s second session saw England all-rounder Chris Woakes follow his Test-best six for 70 in the first innings with two wickets.
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Pakistan picked up from where they left off on day two, by securing a heathy first innings lead as England provided woeful resistance against an impressive attack.
England sailed through to 118-1 before leg spinner Yasir Shah turned the the tide claiming his fifth five-wicket haul in 13 tests.
“Fingers crossed we can turn things around a bit tomorrow”. He became the second player to score a century and a duck in the same Test at Lord’s to leave his side teetering with the lead standing at only 127. His next delivery was crunched more authoritatively through point for four more and he mixed attack and defence well until Woakes speared a delivery between bat and pad to hit the off bail. We probably would have taken this. “It will be tough, they have a very good leg-spinner who will cause us trouble”.
Woakes was the exception, taking his ninth wicket of the match bowling Shafiq with another inswinger.
“We will be a little disappointed with a couple of dismissals, particularly Cooky and Rooty who had done well to put us into a good position”, said Woakes. “There are no demons”. But we are an honest group and we have to go back to the drawing board. We got caught in the crease in the first innings and didn’t use our feet.
He then shone with the ball, recording what are now the second-best match figures (11-101) by an England bowler this decade.
“I’d be gutted if I got 11 wickets and got dropped”, said Moeen. It was nice to hold the ball up. My Dad and my brother were here so it is a special moment. He was banned for a one-day match against Sri Lanka in 2014.
The fact is he’s been in marvellous form for the last 18 months, but it is an important performance for him.
It could have been much worst for the English team, had Pakistan fielded like the way Yasir and Mohammad Amir bowled.
The captain was the mainstay of the innings with 81.
On 22, Cook was dropped by Mohammad Hafeez at first slip, before wicketkeeper Safraz Ahmed grassed a straightforward chance when the left-hander was on 55.
Amir’s return to the scene of his well-documented crime in 2010 was greeted with gentle applause and the odd boo but he was quickly into his stride. Sarfraz lost it and it slapped into his wrists and up into his face.
The partnership between Cook-Root grew up before Yasir Shah dismissed Root.
But it was Amir’s fellow left-armer Rahat Ali who made the only breakthrough in the hour before lunch, Alex Hales caught at third slip pushing forward to one that offered to swing in.
Meanwhile, Waringstown and Instonians have broken free at the top of the Ulster Bank Premier League after winning last night’s rescheduled games.
His skill and discipline did most to claw back Pakistan’s advantage, as they reached stumps on 214 for eight and an overall lead of 281 in an enthralling contest which seems sure to go to the wire, if not quite the full five-day distance.
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And the weather has already played havoc with today’s games. With 27 overs gone in the second innings, they were seven runs ahead on DLS. Instonians won by 20 runs DLS.
