It was a run chase that began in alarming fashion for England as Mohammad Abbas hitched up his strides, glided in to the crease and sent Ben Duckett and Emilio Gay trudging back to the pavilion at either end of a magical first over.
Pakistan’s players suddenly believed, their supporters inside Edgbaston likewise. After Razaullah’s firework display with the bat the previous evening, it was hard not to wonder whether their penchant for the unexpected – that seemingly innate ability to flip the script from nowhere – was rearing its head once more.
