Pakistan’s batting collapse gave England the advantage on day one of the third Test at Edgbaston on Wednesday, with the hosts reaching 156-4 to take a 23-run first-innings lead. Emilio Gay and Harry Brook hit half-centuries after Pakistan were bowled out for 133.
How did England take the lead against Pakistan?
England recovered from an early 24-2 position to move ahead of Pakistan’s 133. Emilio Gay and Harry Brook shared a 104-run fourth-wicket partnership, with Gay making 60 and Brook remaining unbeaten.
Mohammad Ali gave Pakistan an early breakthrough in the fourth over, dismissing Ben Duckett for 11 after Babar Azam held the catch at slip. England were reduced to 24-2 when Mohammad Abbas trapped Jordan Cox lbw.
Gay and Joe Root then added 15 runs before debutant Razaullah dismissed Root for eight, again lbw, early in the final session. Brook joined Gay and helped England regain control with their century partnership.
Razaullah eventually ended the stand by dismissing Gay for 60 from 114 deliveries. The opener struck nine fours during his innings and departed with England on 143-4.
Brook and Dan Lawrence then negotiated the remaining overs without losing another wicket. They added 13 runs for the fifth wicket to take England to 156-4 at the close.
How did Pakistan collapse to 133?
Pakistan were bowled out for 133 after losing wickets regularly throughout their first innings. Their top order struggled against England’s pace attack, with Ollie Robinson, Jofra Archer and Josh Tongue combining to claim all 10 wickets.
Robinson dismissed returning opener Saim Ayub for a 10-ball duck in the third over. Archer then removed Azan Awais for nine from 20 balls, leaving Pakistan 14-2 after 5.5 overs.
Robinson struck again to send Abdullah Shafique back for three, while Archer followed by dismissing Shan Masood for five. Pakistan were reduced to 28-4.
Tongue then delivered another blow in the 15th over, bowling Babar Azam for seven from 18 balls. The former Pakistan captain managed only one boundary as the visitors slipped to 48-5.
Debutant wicketkeeper-batter Ghazi Ghori opened his Test account with a boundary off Tongue but was dismissed for four by the same bowler. Tongue then claimed his third wicket by removing fellow debutant Imran Randhawa, leaving Pakistan 84-7.
[H2: Who led Pakistan’s resistance?]
Saud Shakeel provided Pakistan with their strongest resistance, scoring 43 from 47 balls before falling with the total on 107. His aggressive innings offered Pakistan some relief after their top order had failed to establish a partnership.
Mohammad Abbas and Mohammad Ali then added 26 runs for the final wicket to push Pakistan’s total to 133.
Archer eventually dismissed Abbas to end Pakistan’s innings. Tongue finished with four wickets, while Archer and Robinson took three each.
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