Harry Brook went to his second Test century but an England collapse has left the door ajar for an unlikely Pakistan revival.
Resuming overnight on 74, Brook brought up his hundred off 137 balls with an emphatic pull shot off the spin of Mohammad Nawaz. It was a fitting way to bring up a landmark that had been reached with almost unspoken dominance.
Pakistan is fast becoming, if it isn’t already, a second cricketing home for Brook whose performances in the Pakistan Super League has made him a well-known figure with the locals, even if his runs here may see him drop a few places in their popularity rankings.
This was the second century of his Test career that is only three matches into its infancy. In the team only as a result of Jonny Bairstow being absent while injured, Brook is causing a short-term selection problem for England but long-term excitement, as all evidence from the 23-year-old’s blossoming career suggests he is the real deal. You need only look as far as his inside-out drive over extra cover off the legspin of Zahid Mahmood to see that.
But whilst Brook would be England’s high point of the morning, everyone else would be the low. England started the day on 202 for five, with a lead of 281. A hundred further runs and the game would have been out of sight for Pakistan and a series win all but assured. And all looked to be going to plan as Brook and Ben Stokes took England past 250 and the lead over 300. But when Stokes departed for 41, caught very well in the deep by Mohammad Ali off the bowling of Nawaz, it would precipitate an England collapse as the visiting side would lose their final five wickets for just 19 runs.
After Stokes, it was Ollie Robinson who would come and go first. A wild heave saw him clean bowled for three by Abrar Ahmed, giving the legspinner his eleventh wicket of the match. Abrar would finish with match figures of 11 for 234 on debut.
Next would be Mark Wood, who was unable to double up on his excellent tailend efforts with the bat in the first innings and succumbed here for just six to give Zahid Mahmood his first wicket of the innings as he prodded a ball to Babar Azam at slip.
Brook’s fine innings would also come to an end as he found the hands of deep square leg looking to up the ante with England only having two wickets remaining, before James Anderson lasted just three balls and it was all over.
England’s lead was 354, still an extremely sizeable total which has them as firm favourites, but not the insurmountable one they would have hoped for when they arrived at the ground this morning.
England would get 15 overs at Pakistan before the lunch interval, a period that the home team would navigate assuredly as the finished 64 for 0, needing a further 291 to win.
