RAWALPINDI, Oct 24: Jamie Smith bailed out England with a gallant half-century against Pakistan’s spin attack on an engineered dry pitch to start the decisive third Test on Thursday.
England was on the ropes at 118-6 shortly after lunch until Smith’s 89 revived them to 267 all out. Smith and Gus Atkinson (39) combined in a gutsy 105-run stand.
“I want to be someone who does it in all conditions, not just at home against spin and seam,” Smith said. “To come out here and to put in that performance is quite pleasing.” Off-spinner Sajid Khan grabbed 6-128, and left-arm spinner Noman Ali had 3-88.
England reduced Pakistan to 73-3 by stumps, still trailing by 194 runs on a pitch fanned, heated and raked by the ground staff at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium.
Skipper Shan Masood and Saud Shakeel, after overturning an on-field decision of a leg-side catch against him, were both 16 not out.
Gus Atkinson, one of two changes England made to the side which lost the second test by 152 runs, claimed the only wicket on the day to fall to a pace bowler when he clean bowled Kamran Ghulam for 3.
Pakistan didn’t use its only seam option, Aamer Jamal. This was only the second time in Test history that a team didn’t bowl a pacer in the first innings of a Test match, according to ESPN. The first time was in 1882 by Australia against England in Sydney.
Khan and Ali took all 20 wickets in Pakistan’s series-levelling win in the second test in Multan last week, and they sliced through England again by bowling unchanged for 42 overs.
Wicketkeeper Smith smashed six sixes and five boundaries and Atkinson hit five fours as they defied the all-spin attack.
Smith raised his half-century off 94 balls and accelerated against leg-spinner Zahid Mahmood before top-edging a slog sweep against Mahmood just before tea to miss out on a second century in his ninth Test.
Ali dismissed Atkinson, who offered a tame return catch.
Earlier, Khan and Ali bowled all 30 overs before lunch and suppressed the tourist’s aggression after captain Ben Stokes won England’s first toss in eight tests.
England stuttered to 110-5 in the first session after a good start by openers Ben Duckett (52) and Zak Crawley (29).
Duckett and Crawley raised a half-century stand inside the first dozen overs with sweeps and reverse sweeps. But England lost five wickets in the next 13 overs.
“The pitch helped us for the first 25 overs, but when the ball got soft it was difficult to spin the ball,” Khan said. “I varied my pace and used the crease, which helped me to take wickets.” Ali lured Crawley to drive on the offside but the ball flew to backward point, and Khan pinned Ollie Pope (3) and Joe Root (5) leg before wicket in consecutive overs.
Duckett was out in the same over he reached 50, lbw on the back foot to an Ali delivery which didn’t rise above ankle height. Harry Brook (5) dragged his sweep shot against Khan onto his stumps.But Khan rued Pakistan allowing Smith and Atkinson to share a century stand as he dropped a difficult catch at long-off of Smith and Saud Shakeel also couldn’t judge an overhead catch close to the boundary.“Smith played a brilliant knock, but we dropped some chances,” Khan said. “Otherwise, we could have bowled them out under 200.” The pitch encouraged England to include Rehan Ahmed as a third specialist spinner beside Jack Leach and Shoaib Bashir.Off-spinner Bashir gave England the first wicket when he trapped Abdullah Shafique leg before on the back foot and Saim Ayub fell into an England trap by giving a head-high catch to Root at short mid-wicket.
“We would have liked to go with one down, but we lost three wickets,” Khan said. “Now we need a good healthy lead as Shan Masood and Saud Shakeel should bat for the first hour and we must keep wickets in hand.” Pakistan retained the XI which ended an 11-test, three-year winless run at home. (PTI)
