Saud Shakeel‘s sensational 134 and gritty 40s from Noman Ali and Sajid Khan helped Pakistan recover from 177 for 7 and post 344 in the first innings. England were reeling at 24 for 3, still trailing Pakistan by 53 runs at Stumps on Day 2. Pakistan produced a fine comeback with the bat to put themselves closer to a rare home series win against England. Led by Saud Shakeel‘s rearguard effort with the bat, Pakistan won the last two seasons on Day 2 of the third Test to push England to brink of another defeat on an engineered spin-friendly surface.
Saud Shakeel’s remarkable 134 from 223 deliveries – his fourth in Tests – dragged Pakistan to 344, boasting a vital first-innings lead of 77. That was ultimately achieved thanks to vital lower-order assistance from Noman Ali (45) and Sajid Khan (48 not out) in stands of 88 and 72 before they resumed their primary roles to run roughshod over England’s top-order once more, leaving them 24 for 3 at the close.
Day 2 : Morning Session : Rehan Ahmed’s strikes put Pakistan on back foot before Lunch
England struck four times in the first session of Day 2 in Rawalpindi of the final Test with Rehan Ahmed picking up three wickets in no time to leave Pakistan tottering at 187 for 7 at Lunch. Saud Shakeel’s unbeaten half-century remains to be the only hope for the hosts, on a pitch well and truly aiding turn.
During an extended session of play to accommodate the Friday prayers, Bashir immediately began probing questions to Saud Shakeel and Shan Masood. The offspinner found the edge but one didn’t carry while Jamie Smith spilled a tough chance off Saud Shakeel. Along with Jack Leach at the other end, the spinners bowled accurately to keep the scoring rate down.
Masood eventually fell trying to work a ball on the leg-side but the outside edge landed in the safe hands of Ollie Pope at gully. Mohammad Rizwan who was kept quiet initially, slog-swept Leach for six and followed it up with a boundary off Atkinson. The two batters then kept running the ones and twos, and Shakeel brought up his eighth Test fifty with a sweep for four.
The move to bring in Rehan by Ben Stokes proved effective almost immediately. After a quiet first over, the legspinner trapped Rizwan LBW who took a review back along with him. He then induced in-form all-rounder Salman Ali Agha to play the wrong line, trapping him in front of the stumps as well.
The wickets dried up the runs as even Saud Shakeel went into a shell, unable to find the gaps he was able to with Rizwan. Aamer Jamal was the final scalp of Rehan before Lunch as he castled the batter with a wrong-un. It has left Pakistan at a spot of bother with only three wickets left and they still trail by 80 runs.
The tourists will be wondering how the script has been flipped onto them so comprehensively. It seemed unthinkable when Saud Shakeel arrived on Thursday evening at 46 for 3. Or when Rehan Ahmed’s pre-lunch spell of 3 for 24 from eight overs had the hosts reeling on 177 for 7, still 90 behind. The leg spinner bagged No.11 Zahid Mahmood first-ball to finish with figures of 4 for 66 in his first appearance of the series.
England had gone into lunch in the ascendancy, using an extended opening session to reduce Pakistan to 187 for 7, with Rehan taking three of the four wickets to fall after the resumption from 73 for 3. That included trapping Rizwan and Salman Agha leg before in the space of nine deliveries, before bowling Aamer Jamal via a drag on off a googly.
Saud Shakeel was able to bat through the morning but could have been removed on 26 when Bashir – who dismissed Shan Masood – found a leading edge through to Jamie Smith, who was unable to claim a low catch. The ball ended up ricocheting off the wicketkeeper’s left shin, reflecting the difficulty of the chance due to a lack of bounce.
Day 2 : Post Lunch Session : Saud Shakeel ton leads Pakistan fightback
Saud Shakeel’s unbeaten fourth Test century (107*) and his valuable 88-run stand with Noman Ali (45) allowed Pakistan to level the scores against England in Rawalpindi post Lunch on Day 2.
England started the session with Shoaib Bashir just like they had done in the first session but the batters were more comfortable against the offspinner this time around. There were signs that the ball was going to start keeping low as one short delivery by Gus Atkinson passed Noman at knee height. Noman was eventually adjudged LBW off Bashir but DRS saved him the blushes as he had gotten a thick inside edge.
Despite the lack of boundaries, the batters had a firm emphasis on strike rotation. They ran the ones and twos hard ensuring that they managed to pick at least three to five runs every over. With nothing happening for England, they took a poor review as Noman had attempted a sweep from well outside the line of the stumps. Noman then managed to free his arms with a six over long-on, the first boundary after 10 overs in the session.
The batters continued to blunt out the bowlers even after England took the second new ball. But on the stroke of Tea, Noman was trapped LBW by Bashir, bringing an end to a magnificent fighting innings of 45. Earlier during the day, England struck four times in the first session as Pakistan were tottering at 187 for 7 at Lunch. Rehan Ahmed’s quick three-fer had left Pakistan in deep trouble.
Resuming on 16 overnight, Saud Shakeel brought old world-style and substance. There were just five boundaries during his vigil, the fourth of those a firm sweep in front of square which took him to 50 from 92 deliveries. His fifth and final one came 108 balls later. It was appropriate that he had the honor of taking Pakistan to 267, cancelling out England’s opening effort, with a comfortable single driven down the ground off the penultimate ball before tea.
Still 80 behind after lunch, Saud Shakeel and the very capable Noman set about drawing level with England’s first innings. The latter was the main aggressor, clouting Rehan for six down the ground as the 20-year-old struggled to find the full length that had come so easily in an excellent eight-over spell before the first break.
Perhaps because there were two left-handers, Ben Stokes decided not to keep the leg spinner on for the start of the session. When he did reintroduce Rehan, it was from the Media rather than the Pavilion End, where he had bowled all of his previous nine overs.
The skipper’s frustration was compounded when Joe Root, brought on to bowl the 78th over, got his first delivery to spit out of the rough and take the shoulder of Noman’s bat when the left-hander was on 35. Stokes, fielding close in at first slip, got fingertips on the ball diving to his left. Noman had earlier corrected an LBW dismissal when on 10, with DRS confirming an inside-edge. It was the third decision umpire Sharfuddoula had overturned in this innings.
The following over, Saud Shakeel knocked another comfortable single into leg side to bring up his first hundred against England, and second at this venue. The celebrations from his batting partner and teammates in the home dressing room were far more animated than his, all too aware there was plenty of work to be done.
Noman’s stay was ended by Bashir, getting the second new ball to skid into the pads of the No.9. But he found himself on the receiving end of Sajid’s acceleration at the start of the evening session, all while Saud Shakeel was more than happy to hand the mustachioed whirlwind the strike. Even the blow Sajid wore on his chin that spilled blood on his shirt came from his blade, attempting to scoop Rehan over his shoulder.
Saud Shakeel’s stay was eventually capped at five hours and eight minutes, neither pulling nor defending a Gus Atkinson short delivery to sub-fielder Matthew Potts at midwicket. That Atkinson was not used sooner was another blight on Stokes’ captaincy after lunch, and it was odd that he did not turn to his own seam when Pakistan’s lower order were having their way with spin.
Day 2 : Afternoon Session : Saud Shakeel, spinners put Pakistan on top in Rawalpindi on Day 2
Pakistan took total control of the third Test in Rawalpindi on a riveting second day’s play. Saud Shakeel (134) batted superbly along with the spinners Noman Ali (45) and Sajid Khan (48*) to give Pakistan the lead of 77 runs. The two spinners then roared with the ball in the last hour of play to leave England at 24 for 3, who still trail by 53 runs.
Saud Shakeel who had been watchful throughout his innings, switched gears after the Tea break as he slog-swept Leach for four. But the fireworks were to come from the other end as Sajid smashed two sixes and a four in a 19-run over by Bashir. Despite a cut onto his face and some blood oozing out, Sajid seemed completely unfazed as he clinched another boundary off Jack Leach.
Saud Shakeel finally was dismissed as he spooned one to mid-wicket. Zahid Mahmood was bowled by young leg spinner Rehan, his fourth of the innings which ended the innings and left Sajid stranded on 48.
Pakistan immediately started with spin as Saim Ayub bowled the first over, one which caused no harm to either side. But that experiment ended quickly as Sajid and Noman bowled the remaining overs of the day’s play. Ben Duckett swept Sajid for back-to-back boundaries as England raced to 15 for 0 in three overs.
Earlier during the day, Rehan had Pakistan in a spot of bother as he struck thrice in his first six overs to have the hosts at 187 for 7 at Tea. Along with fellow spinners Bashir and Leach, the trio stuck to tight lines and induced the batters to play down the wrong line. Saud Shakeel who witnessed England take regular strikes in the first session, gritted it out with a fantastic century. Despite scoring only five boundaries en route to his milestone, he rotated strike consistently, not allowing the English bowlers to settle.
In a fantastic 88-run partnership after Lunch with Noman, Pakistan managed to level the scores from 187 for 7 by Tea time. Now leading by 53 runs, the hosts will look to close out on only their second home Test victory in three-and-a-half years.
When the innings was brought to a close by Rehan’s excellent googly into Mahmood’s stumps, a 5.20pm sunset suggested England did not have much to see out. But it was still enough time for a cascade of three wickets in 28 deliveries for just five runs.
Ben Duckett, the most proactive player against spin, was trapped LBW on the back leg by Sajid, a decision the offie needed a DRS review to achieve. An arm ball from Noman then trapped Crawley – the fourth time the left-armer has pocketed the opener in as many innings – before Ollie Pope finished a dismal series with low hands offering a catch to slip, via a deflection from Rizwan’s gloves, for Noman’s second of the innings.
The deficit is 53, and there is hope for England that Root and Harry Brook can make amends on day three. It was these two who combined for 454 in the first Test at Multan. But as all involved in Pakistan cricket will tell you, a lot can change in two weeks.
Road Ahead on Day 3 for Pakistan and England
It is rare for a Test to have shifted as far back and forth as this third Test between Pakistan and England has in the space of two days. But a gutsy century from Saud Shakeel, and all-round brilliance from Noman Ali and Sajid Khan, lifted the hosts from the gutter to the top of the mountains of Rawalpindi. A first home series win since 2021 is in view.
Pakistan walk away a happy bunch. This has been some comeback from them. They looked sure of giving up a useful lead at lunch, but they bossed things from there on. Saud Shakeel showed immense patience and the right technique to negate the English spinners, he was well supported, first by Noman Ali and then by Sajid Khan, who both made impressive 40s. That meant that a probable deficit was turned into a handy 77-run first innings lead.
In a Test match that has been dominated by the spin bowlers, Pakistan showcased that they had the batters to make sure the ploy of producing a dry pitch did not backfire on them. Pakistan were in a spot of bother, heading to Lunch at 187 for 7 after they lost four wickets in the first session on Friday. However, Saud Shakeel converted his 70-odd into a sensational hundred to help Pakistan go past England’s first-innings total of 267.
Pakistan last won a Test series at home in 2021 against South Africa. Since then they had gone winless at home — a streak that came to an end last week in Multan when their spinner Noman Ali and Sajid Khan ran riot on a reused pitch.
When Rehan Ahmed, the third England spinner, ran riot in the morning, picking up three wickets, it looked like England would seal a handy first-innings lead. But, the grit of Saud Shakeel who had help from Sajid Khan and Noman Ali, this time with the bat, helped Pakistan post 344 and seal a healthy lead in their first innings.
At Stumps on Day 2, England were reeling at 24 for 3 after losing opener Zak Crawley (2), Ben Duckett (12) and Ollie Pope (1). Noman Ali picked two wickets while Sajid Khan picked one to push Pakistan into the driver’s seat.
With their tails up, they came back to the field with vigor and they sliced through England’s top-order. Duckett was caught in the crease, Crawley was undone by a slider and Pope looked clueless with his low-handed technique. It’s all down to Joe Root now, he’ll have to guide them on what’s increasingly looking like a tough pitch to bat on. 53 runs still in deficit, 7 wickets in hand – Pakistan will come tomorrow knowing a couple of early wickets and they could run through this batting line-up.