On the first day of the third and final Test match between England and Pakistan, a total of 13 wickets fell on what is usually a batting-friendly pitch.
Pakistan’s Sajid Khan was the standout bowler, taking 6 wickets for 128 runs from 29.2 overs. This performance marked the third occasion in his career where he has taken five or more wickets in an innings.
When asked if the Pakistan team relaxed after reducing England to 118 for 6 and allowed a hundred-run partnership, Sajid said, “Hum logone nahi di, wo acha khele hai, humara ye tha ki hum unko 50 par out krle.Koi chahta hai ki mae ye karlu? (referring to allowing them to stitch 100 run partnership) Humara koi intention nahi tha ki wo 100 run ki partnership kare” (We did not let it happen, they played well. We wanted to get them out at 50 runs. Who wants to allow opponents to stitch a century partnership. We did not have any intention to allow them to make a century partnership.)
England captain Ben Stokes opted to bat first after winning the toss for the first time in eight fixtures. This decision was significant given Pakistan’s Shan Masood had raised concerns about the pitch.
England had a strong start, scoring 56 without losing a wicket. However, the game shifted dramatically when the pitch showed unpredictable behavior. Zak Crawley, scoring 29, was the first to be dismissed. This triggered a rapid collapse, taking England from 56-0 to 98-5 within 12.5 overs, showing the pitch’s challenges for the batters.
Despite the difficult conditions, Jamie Smith scored 89 runs and formed a crucial 107-run partnership with Gus Atkinson, who added 39 runs, helping England bounce back from 118-6. By lunch, England was at 110-5, and by tea, they had reached 242-8, thanks to Smith and Atkinson’s efforts. England’s innings concluded with 267 runs.
