England’s Jamie Smith made his presence felt with a knock of 89 from 119 balls to help his side recover in the 3rd Test versus Pakistan.
England were 98/5 when Jamie Smith walked in and soon they became 118/6. A century-plus stand thereafter helped England offer resistance. Jamie Smith was eventually gone in the 63rd over (241/8).
Jamie Smith’s 89 takes him to 634 runs at 45.28. This was his fourth fifty in Tests (100s: 1). In the ongoing series versus Pakistan, Smith has amassed 147 runs at 36.75. This was his maiden fifty. Jamie Smith, who made his Test debut this year, impressed in the three-match series against West Indies and Sri Lanka at home. He managed 207 and 280 runs respectively.
On a pitch that had everyone guessing, Ben Stokes winning England’s first toss in eight attempts felt heaven-sent, especially as his opposite number Shan Masood admitted to trepidation as to how matters would play out underfoot. But it would have been a wasted miracle were it not been for a remarkable 89 from Jamie Smith, bagging a first half-century way from home, and driving a vital 107-run stand with Gus Atkinson (39) for the seventh wicket.
Pitch Report and Toss
Pitch Report : It still looks like a good pitch, there are some cracks, but they look rock solid. The ground staff have tried to scarify a bit and this pitch should turn as the Test progresses. The outfield is lush and reverse swing could come into play. It should be a good pitch for the first two days, it’s not that hot when compared to Multan. It should be flat for the first part of the Test, reckon Nasser Hussain and Urooj Mumtaz, in their pitch report.
Toss : England skipper Ben Stokes won the toss and chose to bat with Gus Atkinson and Rehan Ahmed in the playing XI. Pakistan skipper Shan Masood bowling first made no changes in his playing XI from the winning combination from second test.
Day 1 : Morning Session : England rocked early by spin attack in Rawalpindi
Sajid Khan (3-55) and Noman Ali (2-53) continued from they left off in Multan to give Pakistan a strong start on the first morning of the final Test against England in Rawalpindi. The spin duo bowled from the start and were unchanged through the entire session with 15-over spells to rock England’s boat.
Opting to bat on a slow spinning surface, England found themselves tottering at 110/5 with Ben Duckett (52) being the only batter to bat with a degree of comfort.
Like in the last game, all eyes for this Test was on the pitch. While it was an unused surface, the number of tricks used to ensure a dry spinning surface meant that it was difficult to predict the nature of the deck.
The surface clearly lacked in pace and the bounce got extremely low through the session with spin playing a key role in proceedings. Sajid and Noman stuck to their guns to bowl probing new-ball spells, even as Duckett along with Zak Crawley (29) stitched a steady 56-run opening stand.
England looked comfortable early on although the difficult nature of the pitch was evident. Noman eventually broke through as he induced an outside-halved drive from Crawley to backward point. It was a wicket that opened the floodgates for Pakistan as England suffered a collapse in the next hour.
Sajid used the uneven bounce and attacking lines to strike the next two blows. Ollie Pope had no clue as he played down the wrong line to be LBW and the offspinner then took out the big scalp of Joe Root who hung on the back foot to miss a delivery that barely bounced and was dismissed for a single-digit score for the first time after 17 innings.
Low bounce continued to torment England as the well-set Duckett was the next to fall, LBW, as he hung back to flick only to miss it completely. Noman ensured that Pakistan extended their dominance by castling Harry Brook who missed a sweep to be find the wickets rattled. England lost five wickets in the space of 77 deliveries to give Pakistan the morning’s honours.
The initial foundations set by Ben Duckett’s accomplished 52 had collapsed on an uncertain surface displaying irregular bounce rather than excessive turn. A score of 56 for 0 became 98 for 5 in the space of 12.5 overs as the pitch started to play tricks, exacerbated once more by Sajid and left-arm spinner Noman Ali, who finished with 3 for 88.
As expected after sharing all 20 English wickets in the second Test in Multan to square the series, the spin duo did the lion’s share of the bowling, sending down all but 11 of the 68.2 overs, including the first 42 unchanged. For only the second time in Test history – and first since 1882 – no pace bowler was used in the first innings of the match.
England began reasonably enough, with a relatively untroubled 50 up in 12 overs. After a watchful start before Zak Crawley – playing in his 50th Test – he fell to Noman with a scuffed drive to backward point. Ollie Pope unfurled another skittish effort of 3 off 14 – trapped in front playing a desperate sweep – before Duckett (wearing one on his toes), Joe Root (trapped in front) and Harry Brook (bowled leg stump attempting to sweep) succumbed to deliveries that did not get up as expected.
Day 1 : Post Lunch Session : Pakistan remain on top despite Jamie Smith’s heroics
Jamie Smith (89) 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, Jamie 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 Jamie 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 Jamie 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.
That England had something to work with, lunching on 110 for 5, was thanks largely to Duckett. While somewhat precarious, it was hard to label it outright as a problematic position, and in propelling that total to 242 for 8 by tea, Jamie Smith and Atkinson ensured England had a firm footing.
By the time Sajid was eventually relieved of his mammoth first spell of 21 overs, he had removed Stokes, caught at slip, 11 balls into the second session, for his fourth wicket. He eventually returned to bring Noman’s opening salvo to an end after 23 overs.
Atkinson joined Jamie Smith and set about an all-Surrey stand, acting as the straight man to the latter’s devastation, even if those roles only truly came to the fore at the end of their century stand. After a watchful start from both – Smith’s fifty took all of 94 deliveries – the final 39 runs to take their partnership to three figures took just 21 deliveries.
It was a charge instigated by Atkinson, striking three fours in the last four balls off the 56th over, against the leg spinner Zahid Mahmood who was was now in England’s sights as the bowler to target. That being said, Smith followed with successive boundaries off Sajid, albeit the second – his third six – pierced the hands of Saud Shakeel at long on.
Had Shakeel been set back on the fence rather than a few feet in front, he might have ended the keeper-batter’s innings on 54. Alas, Sajid felt the brunt of that miss, taken for another two more boundaries by Jamie Smith in his next over – the first smeared over midwicket for six, the second lofted gloriously down the ground for a one-bounce four.
The second took the value of the seventh wicket to 103 from just 159 deliveries. And though it would only reach 107 as Noman returned to take a catch off his own bowling as Atkinson bunted back a delivery that stuck in the pitch, Jamie Smith kept going, blasting two sixes down the ground off Zahid as he rounded on his second Test century. A third six at the end of the over was avoided thanks to exemplary work from Sajid, who took a boundary catch twice, but had to hurl the ball back in play for a second time to prevent the boundary.
Alas, Jamie Smith would fall nine short, Zahid the beneficiary of a top-edged heave that was taken to end a remarkable knock and polish the leg spinner’s figures, which would read 1 for 44 from 10 overs. It was Pakistan’s first wicket in 28 for a bowler other than Sajid and Noman, who combined for all 20 in second Test in Multan.
Day 1 : Afternoon Session : Early strikes help England nullify Pakistan’s advantage on Day 1
After being pegged back for a large part of the day, England’s bowlers struck thrice late in the day to ensure that the opening day of the final Test against Pakistan in Multan had the honours shared between the two sides. Among the three wickets to fall was the hero of the previous Test match, Kamran Ghulam who couldn’t get going after a fairytale debut in Multan.
A pacy nip-backer that barely bounced off the pitch dislodged Ghulam, and his wicket to Atkinson was the only dismissal to pace on the first day. As such, only three overs of pace were bowled with Pakistan having none in their bowling effort.
Abdullah Shafique and Saim Ayub fell cheaply as Shoaib Bashir and Jack Leach picked up a wicket apiece. The Pakistan openers continued their barren patch in terms of opening partnerships. Shafique fell to a sharp off-break that scooted low while Ayub was soft in his flick to the turning ball, thereby inside-halving a dolly to short mid-wicket.
Skipper Shan Masood (16*) and Saud Shakeel (16*) prevented further damage with a solid little partnership to blunt England’s charge. However, those three wickets meant that Pakistan’s impressive bowling performance earlier in the day got neutralised to an extent.
Sajid Khan (6-128) and Noman Ali (3-88) were back in business once again as a spin partnership to derail England’s batting line-up. Unlike the previous Test in Multan, it didn’t take long for the ball to spin viciously in Rawalpindi. The very first ball of the game, bowled by Sajid, spun sharply off the deck, thereby setting the tone for things to come.
There was also extremely low bounce in the first session itself and England’s batters fell prey to it. Ben Duckett (52) and Zak Crawley (29) had begun well with a 56-run stand but once their partnership was broken, things went downhill for the visitors. From 56-0, England crashed to 118 for 6 as the spin twins wrecked havoc. Sajid and Noman made full use of the lack of bounce in the surface by sticking to the stump-to-stump line.
The pitch was extremely slow but the sharp turn and low bounce meant that the bowlers had plenty to work with. England were in danger of being shot out for a paltry total but Jamie Smith (91) and Gus Atkinson (39) repaired the damage with a 107-run stand that defied Pakistan’s bowlers for a while. Both batters applied themselves diligently for a lengthy period of time before switching to T20 mode.
Jamie Smith showcased the ideal qualities needed to make runs on this pitch. He was decisive in his footwork and used the sweeps to great effect without premeditation. He also defended well, something that Atkinson also managed to do. The pair were threatening to get England past the 300-run mark with ease once they started their onslaught but Noman broke the stand by getting rid of Atkinson. A couple of sixes came from Smith but fell in the 90s to Zahid Mahmood.
Ultimately, England finished with 267, a score that is respectable even if under-par. As the classic cliche goes, a pitch can’t be judged until both teams bat on it. Pakistan’s early struggles so far suggest that the visitors may have got a tricky total but the slow nature of this track, especially against the older ball, could aid Pakistan’s batters. It’ll be interesting to see if the pitch breaks up further on the second day or merely slows down.
The patio heaters, industrial-sized fans and rakes have worked their magic. But as Rawalpindi’s famed batting track produced 13 wickets on the opening day of this third and decisive Test, it was England who benefitted, first scrapping to 267 and then making that a workable total by reducing Pakistan to 73 for 3 by the close.
On a pitch that had everyone guessing, Ben Stokes winning England’s first toss in eight attempts felt heaven-sent, especially as his opposite number Shan Masood admitted to trepidation as to how matters would play out underfoot. But it would have been a wasted miracle were it not been for a remarkable 89 from Jamie Smith, bagging a first half-century way from home, and driving a vital 107-run stand with Gus Atkinson (39) for the seventh wicket.
Sajid Khan flourished once more, finishing with 6 for 128 from 29.2 overs for the third five-wicket haul of his career, and second in as many first-innings in this series. His early incisions and quick dismantling of the tail kept England in check as they dreamed of 300 following Smith and Atkinson’s rebuilding effort from 118 for 6.
Leach and Rehan Ahmed, recalled to the side for his first international appearance since February, resumed after the break but lasted just 32 deliveries, with Sajid dragging both out of the crease to claim his fifth and sixth wickets of the match, and his 15th in three innings since his recall in Multan.
Naturally, Stokes opened with Leach, though he handed Atkinson the new ball at the other end for the first sight of pace, albeit for just a two-over spell. A leg bye in the second of that burst took Abdullah Shafique and Saim Ayub past their previous highest opening stand of 15. But having made it to 35, Bashir spun one into Shafique’s front pad for the first of three Pakistan wickets to fall for just 11 runs.
An attempt to batten down the hatches through to stumps allowed England to squeeze. Leach pocketed Ayub, prodding to Root at midwicket – the middle of three catchers on the leg side – before Atkinson returned for a solitary over and profited from the low bounce to knock back the off stump of Kamran Ghulam, gone for three having marked his debut in Multan last week with a century.
Masood will resume on day two with Shakeel, who was incorrectly given out on one when adjudged to have been caught by Stokes after Smith deflected the ball to his skipper at first slip when attempting a take down the leg side. It was the second of two clear errors from umpire Sharfuddoula overturned by DRS, having earlier raised the finger to Ayub at the start of the seventh over for a similarly mistaken call for a catch in the cordon.
Road Ahead on Day 2 for Pakistan and England
All the talk before the start of today was about the pitch and how they’d used industrial fans and heaters to get it dry. The question was not if it will turn but how much it will. To the credit of the ground staff, the surface has enabled a day of good competitive cricket. England won the toss and opted to bat and they were in trouble at 118/6.
It needed a special partnership between Jamie Smith and Gus Atkinson, both who played superbly during their 105-run stand, to dig England out. In fact, they didn’t just dig England out of a hole but they put them in a commanding position as they managed a respectable 267. In reply, the Pakistani openers started well against the new ball.
England’s spinners weren’t quite able to get the same purchase early on but it didn’t take them long. Shafique was the first to fall after being trapped lbw, Ayub was the fell after pushing at one in front of him and then Atkinson castled Ghulam with one that skidded along the deck. It’s left England in a strong position. There’s a lot of assistance from the pitch – lot of turn and variable bounce, so England will be quite confident coming in tomorrow.