Key events
64th over: Pakistan 194-7 (Saud 76, Noman 9) Weird game, cricket. In the first two Tests England’s second-choice spinner was their biggest threat and now the third choice is doing the job.
Or rather he was. Gus Atkinson is on for Rehan Ahmed, who is possibly being saved for 10 and Jack. As Athers says on Sky, Noman Ali played Rehan well just before lunch; Rehan also looks more dangerous to the right-handers.
Anyway, Atkinson to Noman, with one slip and a couple of men on the drive. An attempted bouncer from Atkinson doesn’t get up at all and whooshes just past the tumps with Noman starting to take evasive action.
“Your mention of Boycott’s ruthlessly efficient way of dealing with autograph hunters reminds me of the time I bumped into Brian Johnston at Lord’s,” begins Phil Withall. “It was at a village cup final sometime in the early nineties, he was barrelling along, greeting all and sundry with a happy wave and a pleasant nod. After signing my match ticket he ploughed on ‘having places to be’, yet it still felt meaningful. As if he really appreciated the request, the recognition. A truly unique and wonderful man.”
63rd over: Pakistan 191-7 (Saud 75, Noman 8) Five singles form Bashir’s over, although one ball almost sneaked through to hit Noman in front.
“With the Test series likely to be concluded tomorrow, there are some very important questions for this England team,” says Phil Russell. “Namely ‘Where is the nearest golf course?’ and ‘Can we get 18 holes in before it gets dark?’ I presume that Jimmy Anderson will be tasked with sorting this out. Can’t imagine he’s got much to do as fast bowling coach beyond advising Atkinson to bowl at the stumps and wait for one to keep low.”
Haven’t you heard? They’ve made him the official reverse-sweep mentor.
Right then, the players are back on the field in Rawalpindi. Shoaib Bashir will start, though I’d have been tempted to give Gus Atkinson a couple of overs at Noman Ali.
New Zealand are racing along in Pune. They’re 78 for 1 after only 18 overs, a lead of 181. Like the man said.
“I remember as a 10-year-old at Hove in the late 1950s, I asked for Jim Parks’ signature, and he shooed me away with ‘not now, I’m busy’,” writes Dr Roger Luther. “ It made a lasting impression, as you can see.
”On the subject of Sussex wicketkeepers. in more recent years I used to take my dad, in his 90s, to a cafe in Rottingdean where we regularly met Rupert Webb and his lovely wife Babs. He was a great chap, very easy to talk to, now buried at the church in Rottingdean where Stanley Baldwin got married and Simon Cowell didn’t (good quiz question!).”
Pune update New Zealand are 59 for 1, a lead of 162, with the tantalising chance of an historic series victory. I think it’s a done deal, although I guess you never know with a team as great as India.
“On the subject of ‘You should never meet your heroes’,” begins Finbar Anslow. “My modest rebuttals would be Vic Marks (a polite handshake in the Oval car park) and Plaistow Patricia (sitting on the banks of a small river in the Piedmontese mountains).”
This reminds me of an amusing scene at The Oval in 2011. Geoffrey Boycott was signing a load of autographs, at which point some guy in his thirties started fawning over him: ‘Geoffrey you were my dad’s favourite player’, etc, etc. The guy was mid-sentence when Boycott barked imperiously: ‘Pen!’
At least Geoffrey signed it to be fair. I’ve heard a couple of stories of England greats telling kids where to stick their autograph book.
Today’s lunch break is a full hour to allow for Friday prayers, so play will resume at 9.30am BST.
“I find it fascinating that for all of the thrilling adventure of Bazball England still are unwilling to stick their head above the parapet and take a gamble on the excitement a legspinner can bring as their only spin option,” says Tom Van der Gucht. “Instead, we remain obsessed with the safety net that a finger spinner brings by holding an end up. Perhaps the final Rubicon that Morgan crossed with the ODI team through backing Rashid that allowed them to fully achieve greatness that McCullum and Stokes haven’t yet taken. Show them what you’re made of, Rehan.”
I might be wrong – it’s hardly without precedent – but I don’t think it’s that. They fast-tracked Rehan when he was 18 and, don’t forget, brought him into an Ashes squad as well. I suspect it’s simply that they think Bashir (who is also an extremely brave selection) is a better bowler and, crucially, more likely to succeed in Australia. There’s also a greater duty of care to young legspinners.
England don’t ask Bashir to hold an end up because they know he can’t, not at this stage of his career; they also picked Moeen Ali as an attacking option when Leach was injured for the Ashes. (Even if, weirdly enough, the series turned on a very tight spell from Moeen at Headingley.)
If England were playing it safe they’d have picked Liam Dawson, whose form with bat and ball in the last few years is spectacular.
England lead by 80 runs after another compelling session. They looked vulnerable at 151 for 4, only for the 20-year-old Rehan Ahmed to take three key wickets in a mischievous spell of legspin. Saud Shakeel is still there, having batted in a bubble to make a splendid 72 not out, so England aren’t guaranteed a first-innings lead. But they’d have taken this position at the start of play, and especially when Pakistan were 151 for 4.
Lunch
62nd over: Pakistan 187-7 (Saud 71, Noman 6) Noman doesn’t mind hitting out just before the interval. He blasts Rehan back over his head for an emphatic boundary – it almost went for six – and then turns the final ball of the session just short of leg slip.
61st over: Pakistan 182-7 (Saud 71, Noman 2) Saud trusts Noman, who made a vital 32 in the first innings at Multan, and is still batting in his bubble. He’ll have to open his shoulders at some stage but it’s never going to happen on the stroke of lunch.
60th over: Pakistan 179-7 (Saud 69, Noman 1) Rehan teases Noman with his variations: googly, legbreak, over and around the wicket. A late defensive stroke from Noman denies Rehan a plumb LBW; he has to settle for a second successive maiden.
58th over: Pakistan 179-7 (Saud 69, Noman 1) With the left-handed Noman in at No9, Stokes brings back Shoaib Bashir. A quiet over, two from it.
In Pune, Mitchell Santner has taken 7 for 53 and India have been bowled out for 156. They trail New Zealand by 103 runs on a Bunsen and are facing an historic series defeat.
58th over: Pakistan 177-7 (Saud 68, Noman 0) A wicket maiden for Rehan, who has bowled a thrilling spell of 6-1-19-3.
Rehan Ahmed has blown this game open. Aamer Jamal fiddled indecisively at a googly and deflected the ball back onto his stumps. He goes for 14 and England lead by 90 on a wearing pitch.
WICKET! Pakistan 177-7 (Jamal b Rehan 14)
Rehan whips through another over. Jamal is straining to get outside the line so that he can’t be LBW even if he doesn’t pick the googly. Bowled looks more likely – and that’s exactly what’s happened!
57th over: Pakistan 177-6 (Saud 68, Jamal 14) Jamal is beaten by Leach for the second time in as many overs. Pakistan are still picking up singles fairly easily but there isn’t quite the same sense of permanance they had during the Saud/Rizwan partnership.
56th over: Pakistan 174-6 (Saud 67, Jamal 12) From nowhere Saud charges Rehan, has a filthy mow across the line and edges the ball over the head of Stokes at slip. A leading edge from Jamal runs through point for another single.
Rehan could easily have dismissed all four batters he has bowled at today.
55th over: Pakistan 169-6 (Saud 63, Jamal 10) Jamal has started with intent. He rocks back to cuff Leach past mid-on for four, an unusual but beautifully played stroke. Leach hasn’t been at his best today, though the next ball is spot on and goes past the outside edge.
Meanwhile, in Pune… Mitchell Santner has taken six wickets and India, despite a typically defiant counter-attack from Ravindra Jadeja, are in the malodorous stuff like you would not believe: 142 for 9, still 117 runs behind.
54th over: Pakistan 164-6 (Saud 62, Jamal 6) A shortish delivery from Rehan is forced into the leg side for a couple by Jamal, who then hacks a single behind square on the leg side.
“Looks like the England selectors have struck gold by including Rehan Ahmed in the trio of spinners,” says Colum Fordham. “He is clearly the X-factor – low action, brisk pace, sharply turning googly – that is unsettling the Pakistan batsmen who are more used to the slow left arm/offspin combination of Leach and Bashir. Great to see Rehan smile, encouraged by his captain, injecting the young leggie with confidence. Good on Stokes!”
53rd over: Pakistan 159-6 (Saud 61, Jamal 3) Saud Shakeel is batting beautifully and doesn’t need to come out of his bubble just yet, although he will if he’s still at the crease when Pakistan are eight down. Three from Leach’s over; for once he’s the support act to Rehan Ahmed.
52nd over: Pakistan 156-6 (Saud 60, Jamal 1) Jamal inside-edges his first ball, another terrific googly, in the air but wide of short leg.
Salman is out! A huge double breakthrough from Rehan Ahmed! Salman pushed defensively down the wrong line at a lovely delivery that straightened to hit him on the back thigh. Bounce isn’t going to save him… and it’s umpire’s call on line!
WICKET! Pakistan 155-6 (Salman LBW b Rehan 1)
It’s been reviewed and might be missing off, though my hunch is umpire’s call.
51st over: Pakistan 152-5 (Saud 58, Salman 0) Leach replaces Bashir, presumably with the right-handed Salman in mind. He’s been Pakistan’s best batter in this series, averaging 87, but he looks a little nervous at the start of his innings.
50th over: Pakistan 151-5 (Saud 57, Salman 0) So close to another wicket! A beautiful googly from Rehan keeps low and is just kept out by the new batter Salman, who then gets a leading edge when trying to whip across the line.
WICKET! Pakistan 151-5 (Rizwan LBW b Rehan 25)
They’ve got the wicket! A beaming Rehan Ahmed has struck with his ninth ball of the day. Rizwan reached out to sweep, missed and was hit on the back thigh. The LBW was given on the field and, though Rizwan reviewed, the ball would have hit off and middle a third of the way up.
49th over: Pakistan 149-4 (Saud 57, Rizwan 23) Rizwan pushes Bashir for a single to bring up an initiative-seizing fifty partnership in less than 13 overs. Time for drinks. England aren’t in trouble but they do need a wicket.
48th over: Pakistan 147-4 (Saud 56, Rizwan 22) Now then, Rehan Ahmed is on for Gus Atkinson. You’d imagine Rizwan will target him, although there’s no real scope to do so during a decent first over. One wider delivery keeps a bit low and is steered for a single by Rizwan, one of three in the over.
“Crawley feels like one of those players who will always have a question mark handing over him in the minds of the public,” says Will Vignoles. “Might be wrong but I remember Ian Bell having the same issue until the 2013 Ashes. For Crawley, he was as you pointed out fantastic against Australia and India, has averaged 46 or so in the past 18 months, is part of what is statistically and on entertainment value England’s best opening partnership since Andrew Strauss’s retirement started this whole mess and yet people still want him gone. Duckett may have become the main man, particularly in the subcontinent, but there’s a lot of value in Crawley still. Pope, less so sadly.”
One thing that helps Pope is that there’s no obvious replacement at No3. If he was batting, say, No5 I think he’d more vulnerable.
47th over: Pakistan 144-4 (Saud 54, Rizwan 21)
46th over: Pakistan 143-4 (Saud 53, Rizwan 21) There’s no movement for Atkinson, and no prospect of reverse swing, so his biggest weapon is uneven bounce. I don’t think any deliveries have really kept low today; maybe that’s because the ball is a bit older.
A series of gunbarrel-straight deliveries are repelled by Rizwan and there’s one from the over. Atkinson’s figures today are 4-0-10-0. He’ll probably have one more.
45th over: Pakistan 142-4 (Saud 52, Rizwan 21) Saud sweeps Bashir firmly for four to bring up a terrific half-century from 92 balls. He was missed by Jamie Smith in the 20s but has otherwise played with an eyecatching assurance.
In an ideal world Ben Stokes would save Rehan Ahmed for the tail but he may need to gamble soon because Pakistan are cruising along. This pair have added 40 in the last eight overs with few alarms.
44th over: Pakistan 135-4 (Saud 46, Rizwan 20) Atkinson continues to target the stumps in the hope that one will shoot through. Rizwan gets a thick inside edge that bounces safely on the leg side, then pushes Atkinson down the ground for a couple. He’s playing superbly and is becoming a pain in England’s hindquarters.
“Any sign of Joe Root warming up?” asks Jeremy Boyce. Nope! “Given his rare failure with the bat yesterday I’m sure he’s itching to make up for the lapse. Actually, this seems to be the perfect occasion and pitch for some of Dermot Reeve’s dibbly-dobbly mash up.”
43rd over: Pakistan 133-4 (Saud 46, Rizwan 18) Bashir replaces Leach and is swept deftly for three by Saud; it should have been two but there was an overthrow after a poor return from Rehan.
Three singles make it six from the over in total. Rizwan has put England under pressure and runs are starting to come more easily.
42nd over: Pakistan 127-4 (Saud 42, Rizwan 16) Rizwan continues his invaluable counter-attack by clipping Atkinson through midwicket for three. His busy positivity makes him a particularly dangerous player in low-scoring games.
“Can we bring in Foakes, bat Smith and drop Pope and Crawley,” says Alisdair Gould. “Foakes catches and offers variety of mind as a batsman. Smith is our current hero. Lance Pope and Crawley as the last act prior to the Ashes? The indulgence towards both must stop.”
In fairness, Crawley was England’s best player against the two best teams in the world. I can’t see him being dropped, especially as his game should be perfect for Australian conditions. Pope remains an interesting and slightly confusing case. Also, Lance Pope sounds like an erratic 6ft 8in left-arm quick from Tasmania.
The Rizwan effect. Pakistan scored 26 in 12.2 overs before he arrived; they’ve added 24 in 5.4 since then.
41st over: Pakistan 123-4 (Saud 41, Rizwan 13) Leach hasn’t looked particularly threatening today and is swept decisively for four by Saud; a reminder that he was missed on by 27 by Jamie Smith, a tough chance standing up.
40th over: Pakistan 117-4 (Saud 36, Rizwan 12) Gus Atkinson comes into the attack, a logical move given how well these two batters play spin. When he offers a bit of width, Rizwan opens the face to glide the ball for four. Nicely done. He has changed the tempo of the innings already.