Jamie Smith is an awesome talent.
If anything, his first innings epitomised what Rob Key and Brendon McCullum are talking about.
When England needed to soak up pressure at 98-5, he soaked it up, he ground it out and got used to the low bounce.
You need to put bowlers under pressure when they are tiring, you need to go after them – that is exactly what Smith did.
A lot of people will talk about the tempo of England, that they should go harder or not go as hard. What Smith did so well was to get the mode and method right.
A lot of straight bat shots until he got in, and once he got in, then he was cross bat with sweeps and slogs.
The first bit of this innings, which set him up to get in, was all with straight bat shots. And as he got used to the low bounce, that was when he put his foot down.
It was a case of the more you bat, the more aggressive you can be.
Spinner Sajid showcasing Pakistan depth
You’ve got to love Sajid Khan’s character.
He’s got a fast bowler’s mentality – he’s aggressive – and that responds in how he bowls. He’s got an aggressive action, an aggressive mindset.
I don’t think he’s had the success he has because of the pitches, far from it. When you see him bowl, he actually gets a lot of action and revs on the ball.
Sajid has been a real positive and it shows the depth of domestic cricket in Pakistan as well.
He’s bowled really well since he’s come in, not just because the pitches have spun – he’s actually made them spin.
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Watch all 13 wickets to fall in an exciting first day of the third Test between Pakistan and England
Low-scoring thriller to decide the series?
England found themselves 120-6 because I don’t think they adapted from Multan. It spun big in the second Test, whereas in Rawalpindi, it has spun a bit but kept low.
It spun a bit, and it will spin more. It’s quite dusty at the ends and it’s crumbly. But what’s done for most batters today is the lack of bounce.
I don’t mind a spinning pitch. I do mind a pitch which keeps low. On a Test match pitch, you shouldn’t get in the first session the ball that Ben Duckett got.
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Highlights of day one of the third Test between Pakistan and England
It’s pretty even, at the moment. You’d say Pakistan will have to bat last and it will turn more and more.
It’s like an arm-wrestle. Slowly it’s gone one way and then another. After an eventful day, it’s still in the balance.
I think it’s going to be a cracking three days. The pitch may well turn and roll along the ground, who knows, you never know in Pakistan. It could be a low-scoring thriller to decide this series.
First Test: Multan – October 7-11 – England won by an innings and 47 runs
Second Test: Multan – October 15-19 – Pakistan won by 152 runs
Third Test: Rawalpindi – October 24-28
Watch day two of the second Test between Pakistan and England in Rawalpindi, live on Sky Sports Cricket and Main Event from 5.50am on Friday, ahead of play starting from 6am. Stream with NOW
