England finish the day at 98/1, 489 runs ahead after Pakistan made 198 all out.

By Abdullah Ansari (24th July, 2016)

Toss: England won the toss, Alastair Cook chose to bat first.

Teams

Pakistan: Mohammad Hafeez, Shan Masood, Azhar Ali, Younis Khan, Misbah-ul-Haq (c), Asad Shafiq, Sarfraz Ahmed (wk), Yasir Shah, Mohammad Amir, Wahab Riaz, Rahat Ali.

England: AN Cook (c), AD Hales, JE Root, JM Vince, GS Ballance, BA Stokes, JM Bairstow (wk), MM Ali, CR Woakes, SCJ Broad, JM Anderson.

Pakistan started Day 3, hoping for some sort of a recovery. It didn't take long, however, before England had a breakthrough. Shan Masood was the victim, once again falling to Jimmy Anderson, who seems to have the Pakistani opener's number. Soon after, we had the first of several rain delays. Once the game resumed, Asad Shafiq didn't last long either as he drove an off-cutter straight to backward point. Sarfraz Ahmed was the next batsman; he came out, playing his shots, but perished as he nicked one behind off Stokes. Yasir Shah was next to go as he nicked off, giving Woakes a 4th wicket. 

After Lunch, Wahab Riaz and Misbah-ul-Haq put on a good partnership as the captain reached a fighting fifty. He was soon out to Moeen Ali as he swept one which was caught. Wahab Riaz decided to go for his shots, with a reverse-slog off Moeen for a four as the tailenders made a few runs. He was also out to Moeen, going for a big shot after making his highest Test score, 39.

England began their innings in an aggressive manner after opting to bat again, rather than putting Pakistan on the follow-on. However, there were several rain interruptions on the way as almost a session's worth of play was lost on the day. Alastair Cook was very good, confidently playing his shots. Alex Hales struggled a bit, and perished to Mohammad Amir off an inside edge which was caught by Sarfraz Ahmed. Joe Root came out and batted freely as England finished the day at 98/1, 489 runs ahead.

Summary: Another excellent day for England, who are well on their way to winning this Test match. Pakistan face an uphill climb to come back in this. England will look to bat for perhaps an hour longer before setting Pakistan a 500+ target. The lead already requires Pakistan to set a world record if they were to chase it. Pakistan will be hoping for further weather interruptions if they are to have a chance to draw this match. 

Fall of wickets:

5-71 (Shan Masood, 28.5 ov)
6-76 (Asad Shafiq, 35.2 ov)
7-112 (Sarfraz Ahmed, 41.2 ov)
8-119 (Yasir Shah, 44.5 ov)
9-179 (Misbah-ul-Haq, 59.6 ov)
10-198 (Wahab Riaz, 63.4 ov)

1-68 (Hales, 15.5 ov)

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