Yuen-Chan
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The two batters brought England back into the contest © AFP
Jamie Smith (91) produced a calculative assault on Pakistan's spinners to give England some respite but Pakistan remained on top on the first day of the final Test in Rawalpindi. Smith's 107-run stand with Gus Atkinson (39) has ensured that the visitors will get a respectable total on what has been a slow spinning surface with extreme levels of low bounce. Much like the morning session, the post-lunch phase also started with Noman Ali and Sajid Khan continuing to bowl in tandem. Sajid, the offspinner prized out the crucial scalp of Ben Stokes very early in the session as the England skipper edged a loose drive to first slip.
At 118 for 6, England appeared to be crashing towards an under-par total. However, Smith and Atkinson showed remarkable patience as well as attrition to blunt the bowling for a large amount of time, playing the ball solely on merit. The slowness of the pitch meant that survival wasn't impossible if batters were willing to bide their time. Both batters did just that and once they got set, there was a period of assault on the bowling with Smith switching to T20 mode. The third spinner, Zahid Mahmood bore the brunt of the onslaught as did Sajid.
The highlight of Smith's aggression was his footwork and slog sweeps. Atkinson also showed laudable application and joined in the power-hitting as runs came rapidly in the lead up to the break. Just when it seemed like England would head to tea with strong momentum, Noman returned to break the partnership. A soft dismissal ended Atkinson's defiance and Smith soon followed, perishing to Zahid after belting the leggie for a few more maximums. The wicket-keeper batter failed to get a deserving ton, but his knock along with Atkinson's efforts have kept England in the game for the time being.
Brief scores: England 244/8 (Jamie Smith 91, Ben Duckett 52; Sajid Khan 4-119, Noman Ali 3-76) vs Pakistan
Jamie Smith (91) produced a calculative assault on Pakistan's spinners to give England some respite but Pakistan remained on top on the first day of the final Test in Rawalpindi. Smith's 107-run stand with Gus Atkinson (39) has ensured that the visitors will get a respectable total on what has been a slow spinning surface with extreme levels of low bounce. Much like the morning session, the post-lunch phase also started with Noman Ali and Sajid Khan continuing to bowl in tandem. Sajid, the offspinner prized out the crucial scalp of Ben Stokes very early in the session as the England skipper edged a loose drive to first slip.
At 118 for 6, England appeared to be crashing towards an under-par total. However, Smith and Atkinson showed remarkable patience as well as attrition to blunt the bowling for a large amount of time, playing the ball solely on merit. The slowness of the pitch meant that survival wasn't impossible if batters were willing to bide their time. Both batters did just that and once they got set, there was a period of assault on the bowling with Smith switching to T20 mode. The third spinner, Zahid Mahmood bore the brunt of the onslaught as did Sajid.
The highlight of Smith's aggression was his footwork and slog sweeps. Atkinson also showed laudable application and joined in the power-hitting as runs came rapidly in the lead up to the break. Just when it seemed like England would head to tea with strong momentum, Noman returned to break the partnership. A soft dismissal ended Atkinson's defiance and Smith soon followed, perishing to Zahid after belting the leggie for a few more maximums. The wicket-keeper batter failed to get a deserving ton, but his knock along with Atkinson's efforts have kept England in the game for the time being.
Brief scores: England 244/8 (Jamie Smith 91, Ben Duckett 52; Sajid Khan 4-119, Noman Ali 3-76) vs Pakistan