Moeen Ali made Pakistan pay for their latest fielding lapses with a century that saw England fight back on the first day of the fourth Test at The Oval on Thursday (Aug 11).
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After hitting 108 that saved England from the precarious position of 110-5, Moeen revealed that he was fed up with his lean run of form with the bat.
Azhar, promoted to open after his century at Edgbaston, and nightwatchman Yasir Shah were both nought not out.
Moeen AlI struck a magnificent century as England recovered from early crises to post 328 on the opening day of the fourth and final Test against Pakistan at the Oval.
Moeen admits, earlier in his career, he might have reacted differently after being hit on the helmet by a Wahab Riaz bouncer.
England is now leading the series by a 2-1 margin, after having won the third Test in Edgbaston by 141 runs. The red-hot Chris Woakes also made a valuable 45.
Fast bowler Sohail Khan returned the figures of 5-68 to register his second five-for in the series.
“I have worked on my technique quite a bit against the shorter and quicker ball. I’ve stayed calm, and I wasn’t fazed by it all”.
“But we’ve still got four days to go, and we have to take those things away mentally and focus on our batting”. I’m still going to get in trouble here and there but I feel like I can cope with it much better now. Ali was last man out when he was caught in the deep by Shah hooking at Sohail, who kissed the pitch in celebration of his fifth wicket.
Cook led England to victory in India for the first time since 1984, in his maiden series as permanent captain, four years ago.
Alastair Cook and Joe Root managed to take the score to 69-1 before the captain played on to his own stumps from a Sohail Khan delivery, departing for 35.
“They know what to do – especially just how to take care of the ball on a pitch last day, how to “reverse” it”.
Riaz was returning to the side after being left out at Edgbaston.
Wahab Riaz then claimed his 50th Test wicket with a snorter that James Vince, under huge pressure to retain his place in the team, could only nick behind for one.
Amir was bowling well too, but his reward would not come – and when Azhar put down a straightforward slip chance, the left-armer kicked the ground in understandable frustration.
Shafiq lofted Ali for six over long-on but Azhar fell one shy of a fifty when he gloved an attempted sweep against the off-spinner and was caught behind by wicket-keeper Jonny Bairstow, although it needed a review to confirm the dismissal.
A Pakistan television channel highlighted England’s shining and cleaning of the ball just before it started reversing in a crucial spell after lunch on the final day of the third Test.
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Players and officials all wore black armbands in memory of the more than 70 people killed during an explosion at a hospital in Quetta, south-west Pakistan, on Monday.
