ENG v PAK, 1st Test, Day 3: England Seamers Lead Fightback As Pakistan Lead By 244 Runs At Stumps

At stumps, Pakistan posted 137-8 in their second innings, handing them the edge with a 244-run lead but the English seamers had staged a fightback of sorts to scalp 8 wickets and make the hosts believe that they were very much in with a chance to win the game.

Day 3 of the first test between England and Pakistan being played at Old Trafford ground in Manchester saw the bowlers have their say over the batsman as wickets tumbled in quick succession all through the day to even out things between hosts and the visitors. At stumps, Pakistan posted 137-8 in their second innings, handing them the edge with a 244-run lead but the English seamers had staged a fightback of sorts to scalp 8 wickets and make the hosts believe that they were very much in with a chance to win the game. Mohammad Abbas and Yasir Shah will resume the visitor's innings when the action get underway on Day 4 of the Manchester Test. Pakistan were in the driver's seat after they bowled out England for a below par 219 in their first innings to take a commanding 107 lead, riding high on their good performance in the first innings which saw them post 326 runs on the board. Leg spinner Yasir Shah did the most damage against the English as he picked up four crucial wickets of skipper Joe Root, Jos Buttler and all-rounder Chris Woakes to return with figures of 4 for 66. Meanwhile fellow spinner Shadab Khan polished off the tail dismissing Jofra Archer and James Anderson. Jos Buttler and Ollie Pope were the stand out contributors for England in an otherwise poor performance by the home team. Coming out to bat for a second time with an imposing 107 lead, Pakistan lost opener Shan Masood, their first innings centurion, for a duck as Broad struck early for England. Abid Ali and Azhar put up a brief resistance but spinner Dom Bess dismissed Abid Ali for 20. Chris Woakes struck a massive blow when he had Babar Azam caught by Ben Stokes for just 5. Woakes struck in quick succession to send back skipper Azhar Ali, leaving the visitors tottering at 63 for 4. Asad Shafiq and wicket-keeper batsman Mohammad Rizwan then struck a gritty partnership to help Pakistan get past the 100-run mark. Ben Stokes trapped Rizwan leg before wicket and Broad effected a similar dismissal of Shadab Khan. Brief Scores: Pakistan: 326 and 137/8 (Asad Shafiq 29, Mohammad Rizwan; Chris Woakes 2/11) vs England: 219 all out (Ollie Pope 62, Jos Buttler 38; Yasir Shah 4/66)