Shah strikes as England lose Root
Alastair Cook, the England captain, was 64 not out and Alex Hales 50
not out after they had erased a first-innings deficit of 103 with their
maiden century stand in 18 innings as a Test-match opening pair. But
Pakistan removed both batsmen inside Saturday's first five overs during
a dramatic burst of two wickets for no runs in nine balls.At tea England
were 262 for 4 wickets.
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England’s Joe Root plays a shot during play on the fourth
day of the third test cricket match between England and
Pakistan at Edgbaston in Birmingham. |
Left-hander Cook (66) pushed out to Sohail Khan and a diving Shah
held an excellent catch at point. Mohammad Amir then turned England's
126 for one into 126 for two when Hales (54) edged a seaming delivery
from the left-arm quick and Younis Khan held a difficult low chance
going to his right at second slip.
Root, who made a Test-best 254 in England's 330-run series-levelling
win at Old Trafford, countered with two superb fours in four balls off
Sohail -- a back-foot force followed by a cover-drive.
The latter shot has often proved Vince's undoing in his brief Test
career. But it is also one of the Hampshire batsman's best strokes and
it enabled him to get off the mark with a stylish four off Amir.
Root, however, had a reprieve on 25 when he edged Rahat Ali only for
Mohammad Hafeez to drop the low, two-handed, chance at first slip.
It was tough on left-arm quick Rahat, who reeled off five successive
maidens in a probing spell of seven overs costing just seven runs.
At lunch, England were 183 for two -- a lead of 80 runs.
After the interval, Root pulled leg-spinner Shah for a boundary that
saw him to a 108-ball fifty with his sixth four. Vince followed up with
a fine leg glance for four off Shah.
Sohail, altering his line, almost got Root to play on.
But it was Shah, bowling into the rough outside leg stump, who made
the breakthrough.
Root, not for the first time this season, mistimed a sweep and gave a
simple catch to Hafeez at short fine leg. Root's exit ended a stand of
95 in 36 overs with Vince that had taken England to 221 for three.
Vince, yet to make a fifty in nine Test innings, had been composed in
equalling his highest score at this level of 42.
But he too fell in familiar fashion when, flirting outside off stump
against the new ball, he guided Amir to second slip Younis with the kind
of shot usually reserved for coaches giving fielding practice.
(AFP)
England 1st Innings 297
(G Ballance 70, M Ali 63; Sohail Khan 5-96)
Pakistan 1st Innings 400
(Azhar Ali 139, Sami Aslam 82, Misbah-ul-Haq 56
C Woakes 3-79, S Broad 3-83)
England 2nd Innings (overnight 120-0)
A. Cook c Yasir Shah b Sohail Khan 66
A. Hales c Younis Khan b Mohammad Amir 54
J. Root c Mohammad Hafeez b Yasir Shah 62
J. Vince c Younis Khan b Mohammad Amir 42
G. Ballance not out 21
J. Bairstow not out 02
Extras (b3, lb5, w1, nb6) 15
Total (4 wkts, 89 overs, 400 mins) 262
To bat: M Ali, C Woakes, S Broad, S Finn, J Anderson
Fall of wickets: 1-126 (Cook), 2-126 (Hales), 3-221 (Root)
4-257 (Vince)
Bowling: Amir 24-7-48-2 (1w)
Sohail 21-2-80-1 (6nb)
Rahat 17-8-40-0
Shah 27-3-86-1
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