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Tuesday April 23, 2024

Woakes stars again but Pakistan stay in hunt

By our correspondents
July 17, 2016

Yasir set to play key role after tourists manage to stretch lead to 281 with two wickets in hand

KARACHI: In the lead up to the four-Test series against England, all the hype was centred around Mohammad Amir and to some extent Yasir Shah.

While Amir is yet to find his rhythm, Yasir has already proved lethal for England with a six-wicket haul in the first innings.

The leggie now seems all set to play a key role as Pakistan look to go all out for what would be a morale-boosting victory for them at the start of their English sojourn.

But before that, they would be hoping to add some more to their second innings score of 214 for 8 to put the hosts under pressure. They have a lead of 281 which could have been better but Chris Woakes had other ideas. The pacer followed his 6-70 with another impressive haul of 5-31 to keep England in the hunt.

Earlier on Friday morning, Pakistan did well by quickly wrapping up the English innings. Once they took a 67-run lead, all Pakistan needed was to get a good start from their top order. But openers Mohammad Hafeez (0) and Shan Masood (24) weren’t able to deliver. Even Pakistan’s top-three batters — skipper Misbah-ul-Haq (0), Younis Khan (25) and Azhar Ali (23) were unable to rise to the occasion but valuable knocks from Asad Shafiq (49) and Sarfraz Ahmed (40) helped Pakistan build a substantial lead. Yasir chipped in with a gritty 30 (not out) — his best Test score.

Pakistan were gasping for air at 60-4 at one stage after losing Misbah but a sedate 69-run partnership between Asad and Younis helped them bounce back. A seventh wicket stand of 40 between Sarfraz and Yasir also helped their cause.

Earlier in the post lunch session, Misbah followed his first-innings hundred with a duck.

At tea, Pakistan were 111 for four in their second innings — a lead of 178 runs.

A becalmed Younis Khan, who played several exaggerated leave shots, was 19 not out off 86 balls.

But Asad Shafiq had kept the scoreboard ticking over with an unbeaten 29 off 46 balls including five boundaries.

Saturday’s second session saw Woakes follow his Test-best six for 70 in the first innings with two wickets.

Pakistan were 40 for one at lunch after Mohammad Hafeez had carelessly fallen for a duck in cutting Stuart Broad straight to Joe Root at second slip.

But they lost opener Shan Masood soon afterwards when the left-hander, once more fallible outside off stump, flat-footedly edged Warwickshire paceman Woakes to England captain Alastair Cook at first slip.

Azhar Ali (23) then fell lbw to a desperately tight umpire’s call as Woakes reduced Pakistan to 59 for three.

Misbah, in his maiden Test knock at Lord’s, had made 114 in Pakistan’s first innings.

But on Saturday he fell for nought when he hoisted off-spinner Moeen Ali legside and Alex Hales, running round to the mid-wicket rope, held a good catch.

Pakistan had never previously lost a Test when Misbah had made a hundred and never won one when he had made a duck.

With conditions set fair on a sunny day at Lord’s and more than two days left in the match, something had to give.

Younis, on 11, was given out lbw by umpire Joel Wilson after a prolonged and theatrical appeal from fast bowler Steven Finn on his Middlesex home ground.

But a review showed the ball missing leg stump and Younis survived.

Shafiq then seized on a loose ball to cut Finn for four.

Post tea, Younis fell to Moeen while Asad was undone by Woakes. Sarfraz’s resistance was also ended by Woakes who returned soon to get rid of Wahab Riaz for a duck.

Earlier, leg-spinner Yasir Shah took six wickets as England were bowled out for 272 — 67 runs behind on first innings.

Shah’s haul of six for 72 was the best return by a visiting spinner against England at Lord’s since Sid Pegler’s seven for 65 for South Africa back in 1912.

Variations in pace and flight saw Shah repeatedly pose problems on an unresponsive pitch.

If Pakistan’s batsmen could give him enough runs to play with in a second innings, Shah was likely to be an even greater threat on a wearing surface.

England resumed on their overnight 253 for seven, after Shah induced a middle-order collapse on Friday.

They added just 19 more runs Saturday before they were all out.

Wahab Riaz cleaned up Broad before Finn went the way of several top-order batsmen in falling lbw to Shah.

The innings ended when last man Jake Ball was run out by a distance in trying to keep Chris Woakes on strike.

Woakes finished on 35 not out to emphasise his all-round credentials. —with inputs from agencies

Score Board

Pakistan won toss

Pakistan 1st innings 339 all-out (Misbah-ul-Haq 114, Asad Shafiq 73; C Woakes 6-70)

England 1st innings 272 all-out (A Cook 81; Yasir 6-72)

Pakistan 2nd innings

M Hafeez c Root b Broad     0

Shan Masood c Cook b Woakes      24

Azhar Ali lbw b Woakes       23

Younis Khan b Ali      25

*Misbah-ul-Haq c Hales b Ali 0

Asad Shafiq b Woakes         49

†Sarfraz Ahmed c Bairstow b Woakes       45

Yasir Shah not out    30

Wahab Riaz c Bairstow b Woakes    0

M Amir not out         0

Extras (b 6, lb 11, nb 1)      18

Total (8 wickets; 77 overs)  214

To bat: Rahat Ali

Fall: 1-2, 2-44, 3-59, 4-60, 5-129, 6-168, 7-208, 8-214

Bowling: Broad 18-6-38-1; Ball 16-7-37-0; Finn 13-4-42-0; Woakes 17-6-31-5; Ali 13-3-49-2 (1nb)

Test debut: J T Ball (England)

Umpires: H D P K Dharmasena (Sri Lanka) and J S Wilson (West Indies). TV umpire: R J Tucker (Australia). Match referee: R B Richardson (West Indies)