ENG vs PAK, 3rd Test, Day 1: Pakistan suffered yet another batting collapse as England’s pace attack dominated the opening session of the third Test at Edgbaston in Birmingham. Despite making several changes to their squad and handing Test debuts to three players, Pakistan once again struggled to deal with England’s bowling attack.
The collapse quickly became a talking point among netizens, with social media users joking that Pakistan’s batting woes had become “normal business” in the series.
Saim Ayub returned to Test cricket after more than a year and opened the innings, but his comeback lasted just 10 deliveries as he was dismissed without scoring. Azan Awais (9) and Abdullah Shafique (3) also failed to make an impact, leaving Pakistan in early trouble.
Babar Azam then walked in with Pakistan already under pressure and found himself at the centre of another collapse. Shan Masood fell to a tame pull shot, leaving Pakistan reeling at 26/4.
Babar briefly looked to settle in but was eventually undone by a brilliant delivery from Josh Tongue. The ball moved sharply back into the right-hander and breached his defences, sending the Pakistan captain back for just 7.
The wickets continued to tumble as debutant Ghazi Ghori (5) and Mohammad Imran Randhawa (5) also departed. Pakistan slipped further to 84/7, once again staring at another low first-innings total.
However, Saud Shakeel offered some resistance. After scoring a superb 97 in the second innings of the previous Test, Shakeel remained at the crease and helped Pakistan cross the 100-run mark before lunch.
Pakistan went into the break at 100-plus for seven wickets, but they still have a long way to go. The visitors are yet to cross the 200-run mark in an innings in this series, and England’s dominant opening session has put them in a commanding position.
Pakistan Playing XI
Azan Awais, Saim Ayub, Abdullah Shafique, Shan Masood, Babar Azam (c), Saud Shakeel, Ghazi Ghori (w), Mohammad Imran Randhawa, Razaullah, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Ali.
England Playing XI
Ben Duckett, Emilio Gay, Jordan Cox, Joe Root (c), Harry Brook, Dan Lawrence, Jamie Smith (w), Gus Atkinson, Ollie Robinson, Jofra Archer, Josh Tongue.
