Key events
80th over: Pakistan 251-7 (Saud 104, Noman 38) Root rattles through his over, Saud flicks a couple then drives his 72nd single to keep the strike. The new ball is due and has been taken. Aptly, Jack ‘The Nut’ Leach is going to have first use of it.
Hundred for Saud Shakeel!
A clip into the leg side off Rehan Ahmed brings Saud a brilliant century. He raises his bat nonchalantly whilst Noman goes gangbusters with his celebration. Arms everywhere, lovely to see. Saud has kept his side in this match and could well tilt the scales in Pakistan’s favour if he stays out there for another half an hour or so. England’s lead is down to just 19 runs.
79th over: Pakistan 248-7 (Saud 101, Noman 38)
78th over: Pakistan 243-7 (Saud 98, Noman 36) Joe Root replaces Bashir and nearly gets a wicket first ball! Root gets one to spit off the wicket and take the shoulder of Noman’s bat, the edge looping just out of reach of Stokes at slip. Noman works Root for a single but gets a ticking off for running down the middle of the wicket, that’s his second warning. Naughty boy.
77th over: Pakistan 241-7 (Saud 97, Noman 35) Noman Ali sweeps Rehan hard to the square leg fence for four! Eeeesht! Nearly a run out next ball as Noman jabs to point and calls Saud for a run, Stokes swoops and peels off a fast and hard throw at the stumps, missing by a few inches. Noman would have been gone too. Stokes wipes his brow with his cap and allows himself a rueful grin.
76th over: Pakistan 235-7 (Saud 96, Noman 30) Saud cuts Bashir for two and then picks up a couple more with a clip off his legs. He goes to within one blow of a Test ton, he’s only hit four boundaries all innings mind. This is Pakistan’s highest partnership of the innings.
75th over: Pakistan 230-7 (Saud 91, Noman 30) Rehan flights a few, Saud and Noman nudge and nurdle, taking the runs on offer.
74th over: Pakistan 227-7 (Saud 89, Noman 29) The fifty partnership is up for Saud and Noman Ali. Pakistan very much in this game. England’s lead down to 40 runs. Bubbling up in Rawalpindi as the incongruous tubthumps of Chumbawumba burst out of the stadium PA system (Tannoy is a brand name, you knew that though).
“Hi Jim, given what’s happening in Pune, have New Zealand fired up the patio heaters in Wellington? Has cricket changed forever?”
Jake – emailing from the classroom – this tour fits well with the teaching day”
Are you hiding in a store cupboard or brazenly emailing in in front of a classroom of kids? New Zealand going well in Pune, a first Test win on Indian soil on the cards…
73rd over: Pakistan 225-7 (Saud 88, Noman 28) Noman Ali smears Rehan over mid on for SIX! Confident shot and more frustration for England. Well bowled – a good response from the young leggie who rips one on a length, he’s been a bit too short in this brief spell. Time for a drink.
72nd over: Pakistan 215-7 (Saud 87, Noman 19) England burn a review as Bashir replaces Atkinson and Noman Ali tries to sweep a straight ball but connects only with fresh air. It looked outside the line on first glance and so it proved on DRS. England looking slightly frustrated by this partnership, wounding memories of Pakistan’s wagging tail in the second Test at Multan creeping back into the noodle no doubt. The partnership between this pair is up to 39 runs in 14 overs.
71st over: Pakistan 211-7 (Saud 86, Noman 16) Rehan struggles to find his length and is easily worked around for five singles. Pakistan trail by 56 runs.
“On the subject of meeting famous cricketers, I was at a Test match with my Dad at the Oval in the late 80s when I was about 10 years old. As we were heading down the stairs between overs to get a drink, a kindly looking West Indian gentleman was walking up the other way. He paused and looked at me smiling, presumably waiting for me to ask him for his autograph. Alas at that stage in my cricketing education I didn’t recognise the greatest all rounder in history, so I smiled back and then edged round him and headed down the stairs. I only realised who he was when I saw his autobiography in the shop later that day.”
It’s good to keep these guys on their toes, Tom Barnes.
KLANG. I met Sobers a few years ago. Are you daft? Of course I asked him about Malcolm Nash:
70th over: Pakistan 206-7 (Saud 84, Noman 13) Atkinson stitches together a maiden, shaved scalp glistening with sweat under the afternoon sun. Hard yakka. Rehan Ahmed is being summoned, he was the star of the morning session. Can he prise another one out for England? He’s got real chutzpah, watching him bowl is a joy.
69th over: Pakistan 206-7 (Saud 84, Noman 13) Five singles collected off Bashir with a minimum of fuss. England’s lead being whittled away.
Mark Lewis is indulging in a bit of chaos theory this Friday morning.
“Morning Jim, On meeting your heroes… In early summer of ‘05, a friend of mine was living in Cardiff. During a morning jog, he bumped into Simon Jones, who was running towards him, likely still recuperating from his latest injury. Spotting Jones, my friend mentioned a nasty pothole on his side of the road and warned him to be careful approaching it. “We need you fit for the First Test!” he added. Jones missed the pothole, stayed fit, and the rest is history. My pal claims he basically won us the urn that year…”
Say thanks from me, Mark. Imagine a life without this – gudddunk!
James Wallace
68th over: Pakistan 201-7 (Saud 81, Noman 11) Thanks Rob and hello all. Engrossing Test cricket right here, Pakistan trail by 69 runs on first innings and Saud is well set. We could be in for a one innings shoot out to decide the series. Err yes please.
Gus Atkinson slams a few into the guts of the pitch, England have gone to a short ball policy it seems – Pope is fielding very close in at silly cover. Lid firmly in place to protect his cherubic features. Noman rolls the wrists and collects a single to take Pakistan past 200.
Right, that’s it from me for today and indeed the series. Jim will be with you for the rest of the day. Thanks again for your company, emails, rants and riffs. See you for the West Indies white-ball games.
67th over: Pakistan 198-7 (Saud 78, Noman 10) Sharfuddoula made two howlers yesterday but that decision, though incorrect, was fair enough – it looked out in real time.
Noman is not out! Indeed he did, a gossamer thin inside edge onto the pad.
REVIEW! Noman given out LBW to Bashir
It looked good, though the certainty with which Noman reviewed suggests he may have hit it.
It’s tea in Pune, where New Zealand are 85 for 2. Will Young fell to Ravichandran Ashwin for 25 but the captain Tom Latham is still there on 37. Their lead is 188.
66th over: Pakistan 197-7 (Saud 78, Noman 10) Saud takes a single off the first ball, almost with England’s blessing as it means Atkinson has the chance to bowl five at Noman. The second zips past the edge; the rest are defended solidly. For a No9, Noman has an impressive technique and temperament.
“Having finished reading the masterly tome The Art of Captaincy a few days previously, I bumped into Mike Brearley in the middle of Manchester,” writes Ian Wild. “He accosted me with the words: ‘Do you know where I can find the Piccadilly Hotel?’ I said, ‘Wow, you’re Mike Brearley!’ He said a little testily, ‘Yes. Do you know the whereabouts of The Piccadilly Hotel?’ I said ‘No’, and he walked on rather abruptly. Next time I was in Manchester, I saw we had been only a couple of hundred yards away from the massive Piccadilly. Still my hero.”
65th over: Pakistan 196-7 (Saud 77, Noman 10) Saud threads Bashir nicely between the two men at short extra. Only a single but it was a classy shot from a player who has made a mockery of all the low scores. He’s given only one chance, a really tough one to Jamie Smith on 20something.
“May have shared this before but my first meeting with a hero stays with me,” says Pete Salmon. “Waited in the foyer of the Hilton Hotel across from the MCG when I was nine in 1979. Ian Chappell, 53 not out overnight on his way to 75, came striding towards me. I held out my autograph book, but Chappell didn’t break stride, just said to me ‘F*** off mate, f*** off’ and kept going. Never felt so grown up – Chappelli had called me mate and told me to f*** off!”
The innocence of a child. Had that happened at 29 it would have been terrifying. I had the chance of interview Chappelli in early 2013; it was only over the phone but I was still genuinely fearful. He couldn’t have been nicer or more interesting. He even asked me if this new lad Joe Root was any good; for once I gave the right answer.
64th over: Pakistan 194-7 (Saud 76, Noman 9) Weird game, cricket. In the first two Tests England’s second-choice spinner was their biggest threat and now the third choice is doing the job.
Or rather he was. Gus Atkinson is on for Rehan Ahmed, who is possibly being saved for 10 and Jack. As Athers says on Sky, Noman Ali played Rehan well just before lunch; Rehan also looks more dangerous to the right-handers.
Anyway, Atkinson to Noman, with one slip and a couple of men on the drive. An attempted bouncer from Atkinson doesn’t get up at all and whooshes just past the tumps with Noman starting to take evasive action.
“Your mention of Boycott’s ruthlessly efficient way of dealing with autograph hunters reminds me of the time I bumped into Brian Johnston at Lord’s,” begins Phil Withall. “It was at a village cup final sometime in the early nineties, he was barrelling along, greeting all and sundry with a happy wave and a pleasant nod. After signing my match ticket he ploughed on ‘having places to be’, yet it still felt meaningful. As if he really appreciated the request, the recognition. A truly unique and wonderful man.”
63rd over: Pakistan 191-7 (Saud 75, Noman 8) Five singles form Bashir’s over, although one ball almost sneaked through to hit Noman in front.
“With the Test series likely to be concluded tomorrow, there are some very important questions for this England team,” says Phil Russell. “Namely ‘Where is the nearest golf course?’ and ‘Can we get 18 holes in before it gets dark?’ I presume that Jimmy Anderson will be tasked with sorting this out. Can’t imagine he’s got much to do as fast bowling coach beyond advising Atkinson to bowl at the stumps and wait for one to keep low.”
Haven’t you heard? They’ve made him the official reverse-sweep mentor.
Right then, the players are back on the field in Rawalpindi. Shoaib Bashir will start, though I’d have been tempted to give Gus Atkinson a couple of overs at Noman Ali.
New Zealand are racing along in Pune. They’re 78 for 1 after only 18 overs, a lead of 181. Like the man said.
“I remember as a 10-year-old at Hove in the late 1950s, I asked for Jim Parks’ signature, and he shooed me away with ‘not now, I’m busy’,” writes Dr Roger Luther. “ It made a lasting impression, as you can see.
”On the subject of Sussex wicketkeepers. in more recent years I used to take my dad, in his 90s, to a cafe in Rottingdean where we regularly met Rupert Webb and his lovely wife Babs. He was a great chap, very easy to talk to, now buried at the church in Rottingdean where Stanley Baldwin got married and Simon Cowell didn’t (good quiz question!).”
Pune update New Zealand are 59 for 1, a lead of 162, with the tantalising chance of an historic series victory. I think it’s a done deal, although I guess you never know with a team as great as India.
“On the subject of ‘You should never meet your heroes’,” begins Finbar Anslow. “My modest rebuttals would be Vic Marks (a polite handshake in the Oval car park) and Plaistow Patricia (sitting on the banks of a small river in the Piedmontese mountains).”
This reminds me of an amusing scene at The Oval in 2011. Geoffrey Boycott was signing a load of autographs, at which point some guy in his thirties started fawning over him: ‘Geoffrey you were my dad’s favourite player’, etc, etc. The guy was mid-sentence when Boycott barked imperiously: ‘Pen!’
At least Geoffrey signed it to be fair. I’ve heard a couple of stories of England greats telling kids where to stick their autograph book.
Today’s lunch break is a full hour to allow for Friday prayers, so play will resume at 9.30am BST.
“I find it fascinating that for all of the thrilling adventure of Bazball England still are unwilling to stick their head above the parapet and take a gamble on the excitement a legspinner can bring as their only spin option,” says Tom Van der Gucht. “Instead, we remain obsessed with the safety net that a finger spinner brings by holding an end up. Perhaps the final Rubicon that Morgan crossed with the ODI team through backing Rashid that allowed them to fully achieve greatness that McCullum and Stokes haven’t yet taken. Show them what you’re made of, Rehan.”
I might be wrong – it’s hardly without precedent – but I don’t think it’s that. They fast-tracked Rehan when he was 18 and, don’t forget, brought him into an Ashes squad as well. I suspect it’s simply that they think Bashir (who is also an extremely brave selection) is a better bowler and, crucially, more likely to succeed in Australia. There’s also a greater duty of care to young legspinners.
England don’t ask Bashir to hold an end up because they know he can’t, not at this stage of his career; they also picked Moeen Ali as an attacking option when Leach was injured for the Ashes. (Even if, weirdly enough, the series turned on a very tight spell from Moeen at Headingley.)
If England were playing it safe they’d have picked Liam Dawson, whose form with bat and ball in the last few years is spectacular.
England lead by 80 runs after another compelling session. They looked vulnerable at 151 for 4, only for the 20-year-old Rehan Ahmed to take three key wickets in a mischievous spell of legspin. Saud Shakeel is still there, having batted in a bubble to make a splendid 72 not out, so England aren’t guaranteed a first-innings lead. But they’d have taken this position at the start of play, and especially when Pakistan were 151 for 4.
