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Pakistan bowled England out for 267 to finish Day 1 at 73/3.
After off-spinner Sajid Khan claimed six wickets on the opening day of the series-deciding third Test in Rawalpindi on Thursday, England rallied to reduce Pakistan to 73-3. After England recovered to 267 from a precarious 110-5 at lunch thanks to a rearguard 89 by wicketkeeper Jamie Smith, Sajid finished with 6-128 and left-arm spinner Noman Ali took 3-88. At the end, with the home team behind 194 and the match still in doubt, Pakistan captain Shan Masood and Saud Shakeel were both undefeated on 16.
Thirteen wickets were lost on day one, with all but one falling to spin bowlers on the dry and spin-friendly Rawalpindi pitch.
In the last session, left-armer Jack Leach removed Saim Ayub, who had scored 19, and England off-spinner Shoaib Bashir removed Abdullah Shafique for 14.
Kamran Ghulam was dismissed for three by Gus Atkinson, the only fast bowler to claim a wicket.
In the second Test victory in Multan, Sajid claimed nine wickets. “The pitch helped us for the first 25 overs, but when the ball got softer, it was difficult to spin the ball,” he said.
“We might have been able to get them out for less than 200, but Smith played a fantastic knock. To win this test, we need a solid first-inning lead,” Sajid acknowledged.
After losing captain Ben Stokes to Sajid for 12 in the third over of the second session, England was in serious trouble at 118-6.
To save their team, however, Smith (who hit his fifty off 94 balls) and Atkinson (39) added 105 for the seventh wicket.
Smith allowed England to add 149 for their final four wickets, falling 11 runs short of his second Test century.
Six imposing sixths
In his 119-ball knock, Smith hit six tall sixes and five fours before being caught off a misplaced slog against spinner Zahid Mahmood in the final over before tea.
When Smith, who is playing his first Test series abroad, said, “I want to be someone who does well in all conditions, not just at home,”
“It is really satisfying to come out here and give that performance.”
Following tea, Sajid dismissed Leach for 16 and took out Rehan Ahmed for nine, completing his third five-wicket haul.
Second Test heroes Sajid and Noman, who bowled unchanged for 42 overs at the beginning of England’s innings, dominated the morning session.
Pakistan opened with the spin pair after England won the toss and decided to bat. They took advantage of the dry pitch’s turn and low bounce from the first ball.
It was the first time in Pakistani cricket history and only the fourth time in Test cricket history that two spinners had taken the new ball on the first morning.
After a confident start with Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley racing to 56, England lost Crawley (29), Ollie Pope (three), and Joe Root (five) for just 24 runs, falling to 80-3.
While Sajid had previously removed Pope and Root’s legs, Noman had Crawley caught off a careless drive.
After hitting four fours and a six to leave England 98-4, Duckett reached a half-century off 76 balls before being trapped leg before wicket by Noman for 52.
In an attempt at a sweep, Sajid bowled first Test triple centurion Harry Brook for five behind his legs five balls later, bringing the score to 98-5.
In the build-up, the hosts used fans and heaters to dry the grassless pitch where both teams had three spinners.
After England won the first Test match by an innings, Sajid and Noman shared all 20 wickets in Pakistan’s second victory, which tied the series at one. Both matches were played in Multan.