England got to within six and a half overs of a heroic draw only for Adil Rashid, after a valiant four-hour 61, to hole out to cover
And that, then, is that. England were close, but left themselves with too much to do and not enough batsmen do it. Pakistan are one up in this three-Test series, with the final match starting in Sharjah on Sunday. It’s been a rollercoaster. Bye!
Where did that shot come from? Such patience. Such maturity. All impeccable safety-first stuff, and then, from nowhere, a lavish cover drive straight to a lonely fielder. Rashid can hardly be blamed after a frankly heroic 172-ball 61, but at the same time, why, Rash, why?
Rashid carries England to within six and a half overs of safety, and then he’s gone! Brilliant batting from England’s tail, but to no avail.
Rashid goes for a drive, and sends it straight to cover! It’s over!
137th over: England 312-9 (Rashid 61, Anderson 0)
Zulfiqar bowls to Anderson, who pushes the ball in the air, just to the right of short leg, who gets fingertips to it but can’t hold on! With seven fielders around the bat, anything that doesn’t go straight to ground or get left alone completely will lead to some kind of catching chance. There’s also an lbw appeal, which is turned down either on the grounds that it clipped the bat on the way through (but wasn’t caught off the pad) or that it was never going anywhere near the stumps. Anderson clings on. The tension! Seven overs remaining (or 24 minutes)
136th over: England 312-9 (Rashid 61, Anderson 0)
Wahab bowls, and Rashid turns his first delivery into space past square leg. He decides that protecting Anderson is worth more than a single, and stays put. Just as well, I think, because Wahab later produces another excellent yorker, but Rashid digs it out almost lackadaisically, and then pushes the next ball through the covers - it is finally stopped a foot from the rope, and there’s only one delivery remaining in the over, but Rashid still won’t take a single, and Anderson will be on strike for over No137. Eight overs remaining
135th over: England 312-9 (Rashid 61, Anderson 0)
Zulfiqar bowls to Anderson, who has six fielders and of course a wicketkeeper standing within three yards of his face. Anderson fields the first four deliveries, and then nudges the last off the face of the bat and into the air, but just wide of a diving silly point. Pakistan promptly bring in a seventh close fielder for the final delivery, but there’s no repeat. “Perhaps distraction is what is needed at this point, so the batsmen can just get on with it,” writes Ian Copestake. Um ... maybe. “To that end does anyone know if there is a Greek word to describe paintings inspired by poems, just as ekphrasis describes poems describing a painting?” You what? Nine overs remaining
134th over: England 312-9 (Rashid 61, Anderson 0)
Wahab continues, and Rashid glances fine for four. The partnership between Rashid and Wood was not just England’s longest for the ninth wicket, but it was the longest ninth-wicket fourth-innings stand in all of history! Was it, however, all in vain? 10 overs remaining
133rd over: England 308-9 (Rashid 57, Anderson 0)
Anderson sees off Zulfi’s final delivery, and there are 11 overs remaining for England to see off, with no wickets in hand.
A brilliant innings ends, as Wood dedges low and Hafeez takes a fine low catch!
Longest 9th wkt partnership in 4th inns of Test: 29 overs Rashid/Wood 28.5 Woolley/Freeman E v A Syd 1924 28.4 Edrich/Willis Syd 1975
Looks like it, but did the ball carry to slip?
132nd over: England 308-8 (Rashid 57, Wood 29)
Wahab’s back, and England take a leg bye when the ball clips Rashid’s pad and goes down the leg side. Wood then works the ball in a similar direction, off the bat this time. “When did it last rain in Dubai?” wonders a straw-clutching Matthew Valentine. I think before you get rain, you need to have a cloud. That’s the key issue here. 12 overs remaining and odds on the draw down to evens. England still appear to be just 60-1 to win with Coral, weirdly.
131st over: England 306-8 (Rashid 57, Wood 28)
Zulfi hands Wood an invitation to score runs by bowling down the leg side, and the batsman helps it on its way for a couple. Two slips, a gully, a silly point and short leg cluster around the bat, but the only thing any of them have to do is when Wood prods the last into the ground, and it’s taken on the bounce at slip. This partnership is just over 27 overs old, and there are but 13 overs remaining.
130th over: England 304-8 (Rashid 57, Wood 26)
There’s one more hour to be played today. One more hour. And that includes the time it just took Yasir Shah to bowl out a maiden to Rashid, who’s judging things just about perfectly right now. 14 overs remaining
Wood & Rashid 222 balls 39 leaves 133 defensive shots 50 attacking shots Hope springs eternal? #PAKvENG#CricViz
129th over: England 304-8 (Rashid 57, Wood 26)
Zulfiqar’s first delivery kicks up a cloud of dust on contact with the pitch, rears up, turns savagely, and thus goes nowhere near Wood’s bat. Still, it looked amazing. By my count, Wood has now seen off 30 consecutive dot balls. 15 overs remaining, and drinks.
128th over: England 304-8 (Rashid 57, Wood 26)
Runs! Four of them! Rashid beats mid off from the first ball of Imran Khan’s over, and away it trundles. Absolutely sterling effort this from the current batsmen, a point thhat needs to be made before its eventual futility is inevitably exposed, and the tension is rising. 16 overs remaining
Come on England! Hang in there! @bbctms#EngvPak
127th over: England 300-8 (Rashid 53, Wood 26)
Six of the last seven overs have been maidens now, with Malik’s latest the, um, latest. Wood scored 14 runs off four deliveries in one Wahab over, and 12 off the other 66 balls he’s faced. 17 over remaining
Classic trolling from England team @Simon_Burnton, lulling us into just the tiniest bit of hope before scuppering themselves on the rocks.
126th over: England 300-8 (Rashid 53, Wood 26)
Imran Khan continues, and he thwacks Rashid on the pad with a full toss, prompting another wild appeal. Again the umpire’s not interested, and again he’s absolutely correct to do so - it would have missed the stumps by a foot. Still, worth asking the question, if only on the off chance that there’s a cumulative effect when there’s something genuinely marginal to be judged. Meawhile the odds on a draw have come plummeting down: now 2-1 with most of the nation’s bookies. 18 overs remaining
125th over: England 300-8 (Rashid 53, Wood 26)
Massive appeal! And it’s not given! The ball hits Wood in the pad, that much is certain, and caught at silly point, no doubt about it. Did it clip the bat? Pakistan are convinced, Sky’s commentary team are convinced, but the umpire is not - and replays show that he was right! Maiden from Shoaib Malik. 19 overs remaining
124th over: England 300-8 (Rashid 53, Wood 26)
Imran Khan is back, and Rashid sends his opener through the covers for a couple to tickle England’s total to 300. The last delivery passes safely, well wide of Rashid, and Sarfraz gives the bowler a withering look as he catches it. This partnership has now lasted longer (20.3 overs) than it still needs to last. 20 overs remaining
123rd over: England 298-8 (Rashid 51, Wood 26)
Yasir bowls, and Wood defends. This is excellent stuff from him. He pushes the fifth ball into the ground, and it bounces into the leg of the fielder at silly point, from where it flies into the air and is caught. Pakistan appeal, pretty half-heartedly, and the umpires decide to check whether it bounced. It did. This is now England’s longest ninth-wicket stand, beating during this over Gough & Ramprakash (112 deliveries) and Gough & Ormond (114), both in the same Test, against Australia at the Oval in 2001. 21 overs remaining.
122nd over: England 298-8 (Rashid 51, Wood 26)
Zulfi is back, replacing Wahab, and there’s a lusty, loud appeal as Rashid pushes forward and the ball flies past his bat on its way into the gloves of Sarfraz. No dice. A maiden. 22 overs remaining
121st over: England 298-8 (Rashid 51, Wood 26)
A slip, a gully, a leg slip and a silly point cluster round the bat as Yasir bowls to Wood, who leaves a ball that goes straight and zips perhaps two inches past off stump. With one ball remaining they bring in a leg slip and a second slip, nudging gully round a bit. Wood leaves again. “Is the stadium announcer whipping the crowd into a frenzy with an over countdown? All together now: 29 ...” Sadly it appears not. 23 overs remaining
120th over: England 298-8 (Rashid 51, Wood 26)
A delay as Pakistan prepare carefully for Wahab to bowl at Wood. And then he does bowl at Wood, who works the ball off his hip for a single, and then he is no longer bowling at Wood. Excellent anagramification here:
"Wood and Rashid" is an anagram of "Hi odds on a draw" #PAKvENG
119th over: England 297-8 (Rashid 50, Wood 25)
Yasir starts this over, as he spent the last, bowling round the wicket, to Rashid, who blocks his first delivery with his pads. He quickly switches to going over the wicket. He makes no kind of progress from any angle. 25 overs remaining
118th over: England 297-8 (Rashid 50, Wood 25)
Rashid prods the ball to midwicket and completes his half-century, endangering his somewhat leaden-footed partner in the process - a direct hit would have broken this partnership there, in horrible style. Rashid’s desperation was perhaps understandable, though - it’s his first 50 in Tests. Wood then hooks a shortish delivery into the air, but it lands safely. This is England’s fourth ever ninth-wicket partnership to last 80 or more deliveries and Wood was also part of the last, with Moeen Ali at the Oval in August. 26 overs remaining
117th over: England 294-8 (Rashid 49, Wood 24)
Yasir Shah goes round the wicket at Wood, who defends stoutly. 27 overs remaining
116th over: England 294-8 (Rashid 49, Wood 24)
This statistic needs an all-time average-attacking-shot percentage figure to really hit home, but it’s certainly been watchful stuff. He gets a single here, and Wood does well to block a Wahab yorker. 28 overs remaining
.@AdilRashid03 has curbed his natural instincts well, playing attacking shots at just 27% of balls received in this lengthy vigil #PAKvENG
England's highest 4th inns totals in Asia: 292-8 today 285-7 v SL Kandy 2003
115th over: England 292-8 (Rashid 48, Wood 23)
Yasir Shah from the other end, the same combination that was responsible for England’s sessionis horribilis at the start of day three. Rashid gets a single, and Wood goes through the covers for four. 29 overs remaining
114th over: England 287-8 (Rashid 47, Wood 19)
Wahab starts the final session of this Test. A couple of slips and a short leg by way of close fielders. Wood diverts the ball to midwicket and runs a couple. 30 overs remaining
There’s a liveblog on the Asian earthquake running here. If you or your loved ones are affected, my thoughts are with you.
Related: Pakistan, India and Afghanistan rocked by earthquake – live updates
Bookmaking latest: Coral have an England win at 45-1, which strike me as startlingly stingy odds, particularly with a few bookmakers offering 1000-1 for the same bet. It hardly matters, as you’d have to be bonkers to put any money on it. More sensibly, a draw is hovering between 4-1 and 10-1, with a Pakistan win somewhere between a tempting 1-8 and 1-50 depending on who you ask. Play is about to restart.
113rd over: England 285-8 (Rashid 47, Wood 17)
Shoaib Malik bowls, and there are runs! Rashid strokes the ball through the covers and takes two, and then he follows that with a single. Wood edges, safely, and gets one of his own. Four runs! FOUR! And that’s tea.
112nd over: England 281-8 (Rashid 44, Wood 16)
And another maiden. The last four overs have yielded a combined one single solitary run. Not that it really matters, obviously. “Do you really see them having to survive another 35? How’s the light?” asks Grahame Ash. Looks fine from here, though TV can play tricks with these things. But Pakistan are fair zipping through the overs, so probably.
111st over: England 281-8 (Rashid 44, Wood 16)
And another maiden, from Zulfiqar to Rashid. A little over 10 minutes to tea, which will be spent quite nervously by both sides if England lose no more wickets.
England at least fighting here, but paying a heavy price for that awful Saturday morning @Simon_Burnton
110th over: England 281-8 (Rashid 44, Wood 16)
A maiden, from Yasir to Wood. “Might I be the third Wilson to comment today?” wonders Robert Wilson. Well, OK then. “Shout out to Gareth & Kevin (keep the faith, brothers). The world has changed. It seems there’s scarcely a Smith or Jones left. It’s all Wilson all the time. Have you noticed? We’re everywhere. There are Wilsons in North Korea now! Taking over the OBO is just the start. Soon the Test team itself will be entirely Wilsonian (Carl & Callum are real prospects, Roger and Rhun too though we’ll have to loosen up the gender rules to give Anne and Fran a game). Rob Smyth can no longer keep us down. The days of anthropomorphic volleyballs and changing our name to Giggs are over. We’re coming.” Be afraid. Be very afraid.
108th over: England 281-8 (Rashid 44, Wood 16)
Spin from both ends, as Yasir replaces Wahab following the latter’s expensive last over. And Rashid is dropped! Rashid tries to cut, edges, and it flies straight and speedy to Mohammad Hafeez at gully, who doesn’t have time to get his hands up and in position, and isn’t even close to catching it. 35 overs remaining
107th over: England 276-8 (Rashid 40, Wood 16)
Zulfi bowls, and Rashid heaves the first delivery through midwicket for a couple, before taking the single that brought Wood on strike for that review-based drama.
The ball missed the bat by a margin, and would have missed the stumps by an even bigger margin. That was a very swift, confident and also terrible decision to review, and Pakistan have no more in their locker.
Either lbw or caught, Pakistan don’t really care. The on-field umpire said no.
106th over: England 273-8 (Rashid 37, Wood 16)
Nice! Wood pulls Wahab for four off the hip, very nearly does it again - for two this time - and then diverts a wide one to deep backward point for four more, before crashing the penultimate delivery wide of and also above mid off for another boundary. This thus becomes the joint (with one other) second most expensive over of the match, and England’s most profitable of either innings!
105th over: England 259-8 (Rashid 37, Wood 2)
An over from Zulfiqar, and a single for Wood.
104th over: England 258-8 (Rashid 37, Wood 1)
I was literally just looking up Broad’s batting statistics, and noting that this was a chance to score what would have been a first half-century for nearly two and a half years, when it fairly emphatically ceased to be such a chance. Wood grabs a swift single, and Rashid ends the over with a four smacked past point.
A beauty! Wahab destroys the stumps with a dazzling corker of a yorker!
103rd over: England 251-7 (Rashid 33, Broad 28)
Zulfi’s back, and Rashid plays it out risklessly and indeed runlessly.
102nd over: England 251-7 (Rashid 33, Broad 28)
Oooh! And also aah! Broad pops the ball into the air on the leg side, where there are two short legs, but the ball flies between them, and the batsmen set off on a run. The ball’s fielded and thrown to the bowler’s end, where Broad would have struggled to make his ground, but it misses the stumps, nobody’s backing up and off it goes to the boundary. Five runs ... woa-oah, we’re halfway there!
101st over: England 245-7 (Rashid 32, Broad 23)
Rashid hoiks Yasir through midwicket, to bring up the 50 partnership. Meanwhile there is news coming from northern Pakistan, where an earthquake measuring 7.7 on the richter scale has been reported. More when I get it, or from our news department.
Related: Earthquake of 7.7 magnitude strikes south Asia
100th over: England 241-7 (Rashid 28, Broad 23)
Wahab bowls, and after the batsmen take a single each he unleashes an obscenely hostile short ball at Broad, which the batsman just about sways away from as it speared towards his nose. England’s innings is 100 overs old, and there are 45 remaining in the day. This partnership has so far survived 11 and a bit. All they have to do is keep going for that long again, and again, and again, and also again, and England will be very much home and hosed.
99th over: England 239-7 (Rashid 27, Broad 22)
As in the previous over, a single for Broad from the second delivery. Unlike the previous over, Rashid sees out the remainder without any sort of drama.
98th over: England 238-7 (Rashid 27, Broad 21)
What’s the point, these days, of appealing for a catch when it is very clear that the ball didn’t go anywhere near the bat? Even if you manage to convince the on-field umpire, the decision will only get reviewed and overturned. Anyway, Pakistan have a go, in a half-hearted way, after Rashid tries to pull a shortish delivery from Wahab and gets nothing on it. Later Wahab bowls across him, the ball heading towards first slip, and Rashid stretches for it inadvisably, and is lucky to again make no contact.
97th over: England 236-7 (Rashid 27, Broad 20)
Yasir doesn’t really worry Rashid, who gets two off the last, turned to square leg. This, meanwhile, is a crushing disappointment.
@Simon_Burnton FYI Junaid Jamshed is a clothing retailer (Pakistan's Tom Singh) turned religious commentator and noted misogynist.
96th over: England 234-7 (Rashid 25, Broad 20)
Wahab replaces Imran Khan, and starts his spell with a no ball, before continuing with some trashy wide nonsense, given the treatment by Broad. It improves, as it pretty much had to, and Broad looks uncomfortable when one is banged in short, rearing up to pass just past Broad’s nose, with the batsman quite unsure what to do with his bat. “After a surprisingly competent summer, it’s refreshing to have England back,” writes Christopher Dale. “Some of the dismissals to Yasir Shah are straight out of the Warne and Kumble locker of English batsmen failing against legspin, it’s very nostalgic.”
95th over: England 227-7 (Rashid 24, Broad 15)
Broad gets in on the act, pulling off his hips for four. And then, after another short ball is called a wide, there’s a gorgeous cover drive for four more! This is easy! These two are going to be back in the dressing-room with their feet up by tea, no problem. (This last statement is probably true)
94th over: England 217-7 (Rashid 24, Broad 6)
Yasir Shah’s back, but without immediate reward. Indeed, when he drops one a little short Rashid is upon it in a flash, sending it past point for four, and then he swishes the last ball of the over through midwicket for four. Easy! Just 60 more of those and England have this Test wrapped up.
#CricViz has called it. There is officially zilch chance of England saving the second #PAKvENG Test. pic.twitter.com/RVnjDKDYGk
93rd over: England 209-7 (Rashid 16, Broad 6)
Ooof! Broad edges, the ball coming off the top of the bat and heading downwards, bouncing a yard in front of first slip. The next is sent through the covers for four. James Anderson’s been a busy lad, putting pen to paper on a new deal with Lancashire mid-Test.
BREAKING: James Anderson signs new two-year contract with Lancashire. More on #SSNHQ
92nd over: England 205-7 (Rashid 16, Broad 2)
Zulfi’s over yields a single for Broad and two pairs for Rashid. Whenever the wicket is shown on screen from side on, an advert for Junaid Jamshed is superimposed onto the outfield. I’m hoping and frankly expecting that this is an actual shed full of jam, some kind of suburban retail outlet, similar say to Britain’s Sport’s Direct but dealing only in jams, conserves and marmalades.
91st over: England 200-7 (Rashid 12, Broad 1)
Imran Khan continues, and one delivery simply refuses to bounce and Broad is absolutely clueless as it zips under his bat but wide of the wicket. The Englishman then gets off the mark, and brings up England’s 200, with a push to mid on. It is perhaps not the very finest excuse for a celebration that any Englishman has ever experienced, but those fans present cheer it pretty heartily just the same.
90th over: England 199-7 (Rashid 12, Broad 0)
Rashid pushes through the covers for a couple, and then lets another float down leg side, past Sarfraz and away for four byes. Rashid, too, is batting very sensibly, taking an approach he could really have shown a bit more of in innings one.
89th over: England 193-7 (Rashid 10, Broad 0)
Imran Khan’s first delivery to Broad is pretty nasty, sliding across his bat and only just missing the edge of it. And then he does it again. This could end quickly.
A furious Stokes beats the turf with his bat, which moments earlier he was limply hanging out to edge the ball to first slip. After playing so patiently and impressively under probing pre-lunch spin-based examination, he’s out to seam.
88th over: England 193-6 (Stokes 13, Rashid 10)
Imran Khan’s return doesn’t signal a complete break from spin, as Zulfiqar bowls from the other end. Rashid prods the ball to midwicket and runs a couple, with the speed and appetite of someone who believes that runs still have meaning, despite England needing 300 more of them.
87th over: England 191-6 (Stokes 13, Rashid 8)
The session starts with Stokes edging low, along the ground, wide of gully for four. It’s his second boundary, which means that, five dots later, fully 61.5% of his 13 runs have come from 3.2% of his 63 balls.
Right, then. The players are back out, Imran Khan is limbering up. Let’s play!
Cheer up, Ben. It’s not that bad.
An email before I leave you all for the lunch break, where you’ll be ably picked up by Simon Burnton– and it comes from Tom Gucht:
“When Buttler got out, I had a brief, sleepy feeling of security knowing that Moeen was about to stride out and steady the ship, only for my memories to be stirred as I remembered that he’s already been and gone. This new opening experiment is going well.”
86th over: England 183-6 (Stokes 9, Rashid 8)
The over before lunch and Pakistan have taken the new ball. However, they have given it to Babar, who immediately uses the harder ball and more pronounced seam to get some bigger bounce. The next ball, Rashid is back and edges the ball onto his pad. There’s an appeal and then a review for LBW, but the edge is clear. Not out. A bit of flight and width and Rashid cracks a good cover drive for four. And that’s lunch.
85th over: England 182-6 (Stokes 9, Rashid 4)
Shah trying to tempt Rashid into playing a short reminiscent of the naff one he played in the first innings. But Rashid’s not biting, meeting flight with nothing but a dead bat. He’s reading everything outside off stump well, too.
84th over: England 182-6 (Stokes 9, Rashid 4)
Rashid starting OK so far, though he does skew an edge off Babar into the off side. Nowhere near a fielder though, so he can scamper through for a single to pass defending duties on to Stokes.
Yasir's ball to dismiss Buttler deviated 3 degrees to leg in the air and 8.9 degrees to off from the pitch. #PAKvENG#CricViz
83rd over: England 179-6 (Stokes 9, Rashid 0)
Rashid gets off the mark to his third ball (and third of the over) as Shah goes short and he works his wrists to find the gap at midwicket. Over ends with another appeal, as Stokes comes forward to a ball that turns into his front pad, but it’s outside the line.
82nd over: England 178-6 (Stokes 9, Rashid 0)
A couple of appeals against Stokes, for bat pad and LBW, are abandoned. Then a ball doesn’t bounce at all and Stokes walks past it. But Ahmed behind the stumps cannot collect the ball – impossible to, really – and Stokes survives.
81st over: England 178-6 (Stokes 9)
Pakistan decide against the new ball as Stokes plays Shah well, here – only committing to the ball late as he hits the ball down, on the top of its bounce, to get a single to short fine leg. Buttler’s reading the leggies well and leaving outside off. Googly, anyone? Nope, just an outrageous leggie that drifts and leaves Buttler for dead, taking his edge along the way. Beauty.
Ball of the day so far – Shah flights one beautifully, which drifts into middle and leg and then spins sharply as it lands, catching Buttler’s outside edge (he had to play at it) through to Khan for his second catch of the morning.
80th over: England 176-5 (Stokes 8, Buttler 6)
Shoaib Malik on for a bit of conventional off spin. He’s bowling around the wicket to the left-handed Stokes and is bowling a fairly tame line. Stokes, having grafted against Babar and Shah, plays this over out with ease. New ball available with 20 minutes left till lunch...
79th over: England 175-5 (Stokes 8, Buttler 5)
Stokes takes a single to midwicket. Buttler does well to play a soft-handed defensive shot that just dies into the ground as it squirts off the outside half of his bat. He, too, takes a single to midwicket.
78th over: England 173-5 (Stokes 7, Buttler 4)
Pace now for Pakistan as Riaz is brought back into the attack. He starts over the wicket and Buttler pushes a few into the leg side, before Riaz moves around – he got him out in the first innings from this angle – and Buttler defends into the off side.
77th over: England 173-5 (Stokes 7, Buttler 4)
Stokes seems to be settling down, which is nice. Plays Babar comfortably off both feet, though would have liked a run from a hard back foot punch, which clatters off the close cover.
76th over: England 173-5 (Stokes 7, Buttler 4)
Shah over-pitches and Stokes walks into it, driving it for four nicely. He’s reading the leg spinner better, allowing it to pass him down the leg side and then taking a single to mid on.
75th over: England 168-5 (Stokes 2, Buttler 4)
Stokes nearly undoes himself, eyes lighting up at a full ball which he greets with a furious swing of the bat. He brings himself out of his crease but completely misses the ball, which bounces of Ahmed and just wide of his stumps. He’s battling here but gets a single by riding one well behind square on the leg side.
74th over: England 167-5 (Buttler 4, Stokes 1)
Buttler playing straight as Shah rattles through his over. Not enough dragging Buttler forward but no doubt that will come in due time...
73rd over: England 167-5 (Buttler 4, Stokes 1)
Stokes gets caught on the crease and edges onto his pad as he goes back to Babar – the edge comes off his pad and bounces out of the hand of short leg.
72nd over: England 167-5 (Stokes 1, Buttler 4)
Big turns leads to byes as Shah spins one sharply down the leg side which Sarfraz Ahmed can only palm past leg slip. But Bairstow goes, undone by a googly. Jos Buttler, under pressure, comes out and gets off the mark with a streaky four to third man. Off the mark though...
More convinced than ever that England should have picked Eoin Morgan for this series. Why die wondering about a talent like that?
Shah bowls a nice googly but Bairstow invites it through him by leaving a gap between bat and pad as he attempts to work it to midwicket.
71st over: England 161-4 (Bairstow 21, Stokes 1)
Kevin Wilson emails in and is an advocate of tough love: “Isn’t Root getting out, to some extent, a good thing? Hear me out. Now we’ll see whether this middle order has balls.” You’ve got a point, Kevin. It’s about time this middle order pulled their weight. Stokes looking better against the orthodox spin of Babar, though this over is not without an appeal as Babar turns one into the pads (sliding down leg).
70th over: England 161-4 (Bairstow 21, Stokes 1)
Extravagant bounce first up and Stokes does well to get his hands out of the play. I say “does well”, he did follow it. He then skips forward and is nearly nutmegged as the ball comes off the inside part of his right pad. Shorter ball allows him to get onto the back foot and play with a bit more conviction before he follows a googly and plays him into point to get off the mark.
69th over: England 160-4 (Bairstow 21, Stokes 0)
Bairstow takes the entirety of the next over to give Ben Stokes some time to think about a better strategy than thrusting forward.
68th over: England 160-4 (Bairstow 21, Stokes 0)
A bitter blow for England. But Ben Stokes is out there and he’s showed at Lord’s earlier this year that he can bat time, though even then he had to get some runs for his own peace of mind. First ball, he presses forward to Yasir Shah, around the wicket to the left hander, and balloons an inside edge just past bat-pad. Two balls later, the ball balloons off his pad – just his pad – to leg slip. Uses his feet to get into the rough and dead bat the ball to finish the over. Better. He’s getting a bit of chat, too...
Pakistani fielders around Ben Stokes "he's a very angry man. Let's make him more angry" #Cricket#PakvEng
67th over: England 157-4 (Bairstow 18)
Root plays out the first three balls from Babar easily before getting a thick inside edge behind square on the leg side for one. Bairstow, who has looked competent so far and makes use of a mid-off pushed back on the circle to push a loopy full ball for a single. Root then goes, edging Babar to first slip. Didn’t quite get to the pitch of the ball, bat slightly angled, but it’s a fine piece of bowling and a good low catch by Younis Khan.
Is that the game? Probably. Root doesn’t quite get to the ball and edges to Khan...
Root edges Babar behind to first slip but is standing his ground to see if the catch was claimed (it was)...
66th over: England 155-3 (Root 70, Bairstow 17)
Shah starting around the wicket again and Bairstow using his front pad again. The balls missing the rough is being played with the bat – anything in the bitty stuff is being half-volleyed, hands whipped behind the body ASAP to avoid a similar dismissal to Bell yesterday, who gloves through to first slip.
65th over: England 155-3 (Root 70, Bairstow 17)
Root gives Bairstow back the strike with another single to midwicket. Bairstow defends the next few before Babar changes to go over the wicket and into the rough. What he does is provide Bairstow with a good angle to work into the leg side as the ball turns into him. Which he does for a single.
64th over: England 153-3 (Root 69, Bairstow 16)
Well watch, Jonny B – gets a good stride out to a leg spinner that he reads well enough to leave. Two balls later he ends the over with a nice extra cover drive for four. Very well controlled, hands going with the ball as it turned and then kicking through powerfully. I’m on the cusp of jinxing him.
63rd over: England 149-3 (Root 69, Bairstow 12)
Good from Bairstow. Would have been easy to cling to his crease like Rose and that raft – there was enough space, end of! – but he skips down to Babar and puts the ball wide of mid on so that he can take a single. Proactive, I believe that’s called.
62nd over: England 147-3 (Root 68, Bairstow 11)
Yasir Shah into the attack now. Good over: around and over the wicket, into both bits of rough. Root’s happy to pad most away from around and gets a single to give Bairstow an early sighter, too.
61st over: England 146-3 (Root 67, Bairstow 11)
Probably goes down as a drop, I think: Bairstow is a bit too hard coming forward and skews an edge to bat-pad – fresh to the position this over – which passes through the hands of Shan Masood. Bairstow beginning to look a bit uncomfortable, attempting to work a ball late off his pad but being undone by a bit more zip. Inside edge curtails the LBW shout. Maiden.
60th over: England 145-3 (Root 67, Bairstow 11)
Ooooooo what might have been if there were a short leg... Riaz digs one in and Bairstow splices it in front of square on the leg side. There’s no man at bat-pad, so he takes the single on offer. Root then gets some, too, working a 90mph ball coming into his pads through midwicket for a brace. The penultimate ball is caressed through extra cover for four. Well, it should have been the penultimate ball only Riaz oversteps. He finishes the over from over the wicket. Root plays the ball back to him and Riaz does a few kick-ups and asks him to complain about it. Banter.
59th over: England 138-3 (Root 61, Bairstow 10)
First sign of turn, and it’s big. Babar, left-arm orthodox spin around the wicket to Root, catches the edge of the rough. Root comes forward to play the line and finds nothing as the ball spins past his outside edge.
58th over: England138-3 (Root 61, Bairstow 10)
Riaz now coming around the wicket to Bairstow and starts with a bouncer. Bairstow keeps his eyes fixed forward and ducks well. A full ball and he’s striding into it. Good feet from JB so far.
62 innings for Joe Root's 3,000 Test runs ... one quicker than Kevin Pietersen, 7th fastest Englishman overall https://t.co/Kz8rRiRMde
.@joeroot05 becomes the second youngest batsman to 3,000 Test runs. More here: https://t.co/HcVJUs4Dxn#PAKvENGpic.twitter.com/ehjgYVUQ0w
57th over: England 138-3 (Root 61, Bairstow 10)
Bit of excitement from the field as Root goes forward to Babar and the ball chips up, well short of mid on, mind. There’s a short-leg in now, along with the slip and gully. The rest of the over is played with softer hands to both sides of the wicket. More of this, Joe. FYI – it took Root 62 innings to get 3,000 Test runs, pipping Kevin Pietersen by one innings.
56th over: England 138-3 (Root 61, Bairstow 10)
Riaz from the other end – will be fascinating to see what he does when he gets Joe Root on strike. If you missed it, the two clashes yesterday after Root appeared to claim the bowler had trodden on the ball. Having seen the video, I can’t see what the issue is. Sounds like nothing will come of it, either. Anyway, it’s still Bairstow for now and he’s driven Riaz down the ground nicely for three, after two leg byes earlier. Root is on strike for the final ball as Root tucks one around the corner.
55th over: England 132-3 (Root 60, Bairstow 7)
Zulfiqar Babar begins the day around the wicket to the right-handers. The second ball is a bit short and allows Root to get onto the back foot and work into the leg side. Not totally convincing, but it’ll do. Bairstow finishes the over with a single into the same area.
Ian Ward, with the help of Rob Key and Marcus Trescothick, is currently mapping out the task at hand for England. They’ve been excellent in the Sky studio.
Now the players are out there to do it proper...
Going into the final day 3 down to save match, 8 teams out of 32 have saved game in Test history. England twice. @AWSStats
Morning all – pitch black and a bit chilly outside. The perfect day for another modern English rearguard masterclass to add to a list that includes Cardiff 2009, Centurion 2009, Cape Town 2010 and Auckland 2013.
England are 361 runs behind and have to bat out the day, which amounts to 90 overs minus any lost to the inevitable bad light. As for Pakistan, they need seven wickets to win a match they have controlled for the most part.
Vish will be here soon enough. While you wait, here is Mike Selvey’s match report from day four. Enjoy.
This day was called the Feast of Crispian. Six hundred years ago to the day, England fought and won a battle against what, as Shakespeare had it, the Earl of Salisbury called “a fearful odds”. Those odds facing the England cricket team on the fourth day of the second Test could scarcely be described as fearful but they were mighty long for all that. Pakistan were in the driving seat and it would have required more than Alastair Cook’s version of the greatest team talk in the English language, delivered before Agincourt (and embellished by the Bard, of course) to lift his side into staving off what appeared to be an inevitable defeat, band of brothers or not.
By the end of the day, there was still a vague chance that they could avoid defeat and go into the third Test on level terms, but it will now require an effort of monumental concentration and skill of a kind shown by Alastair Cook in the first Test if they are to survive a full day’s play.
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