Third Rothesay Test, Edgbaston (day three of five)
Pakistan 133 (Tongue 4-42) & 449 (Masood 95, Razaullah 81, Babar 76, Awais 59)
England 453 (Brook 75, Smith 69, Lawrence 65, Gay 60, Robinson 50; Razaullah 4-148)
England need 130 runs to win
England face a chase of 130 to win the third Test after Pakistan debutant Razaullah produced some thrilling resistance on day three at Edgbaston.
Pakistan had battled to 318-8, still two runs behind, with potentially more than two hours of play remaining when Razaullah, the tourists’ number nine, launched a sensational assault.
The 21-year-old’s audacious 81 from 63 balls frazzled England and propelled Pakistan to 449. His nine sixes tied Ben Stokes’ record for the number of maximums in a Test innings in England.
Razaullah shared an eighth-wicket stand of 121 with Muhammad Abbas, who whacked two sixes of his own in his 42. Finally, Razaullah was stumped off Lawrence to end the day and signal the beginning of England’s chase on Saturday.
Pakistan deserved to drag the match into a weekend, restoring a modicum of pride to what has been a shambolic tour.
England might have won inside two days had it not been for bad weather on Thursday. From 55-2 overnight, 268 behind, Pakistan did not capitulate on Friday.
Shan Masood and Azan Awais extended their third-wicket stand to 125 until Awais tickled the off-spin of Dan Lawrence down the leg side for 59.
Masood added another 89 with captain Babar Azam. The left-hander was denied a century on 95 when Lawrence took a spectacular one-handed catch at gully off Gus Atkinson.
Babar was classy for his 76, yet was discomforted when England went to a short-ball plan either side of tea. His dismissal to a Josh Tongue bouncer seemed to confirm a three-day finish, but Razaullah had other ideas.
