Pakistani cricket team dominated Day 2 of the third Test match against England in Rawalpindi on Friday. Pakistan batters posted 344 runs in their first innings to take a decisive 77-run lead and then bowlers shone in the closing stages to stumble England to 24 for 3 at the end of Day 2.
England trail by 53 runs with just seven wickets in hand and need some miracle to avoid a defeat going into Day 3. Joe Root and Harry Brook remain at the crease and need some fighting performances from Ben Stokes and Jamie Smith to turn the game on Saturday.
Pakistan started Day 2 from 73 for 3, Pakistan lost skipper Shan Masood early on 26 runs. But in-form Saud Shakeel and Mohammad Rizwan added 52 runs for the fifth wicket to put Pakistan back on the track.
Rehan Ahmed, who failed to make the playing eleven in the first two games, brought England back into the game with Rizwan's wicket and then also removed Aamer Jamal and Salman Agha in quick succession. But Saud Shakeel kept the scorecard moving with a sensational hundred.
Shakeel produced two potential match-defining partnerships with Noman Ali and Sajid Khan as Pakistan made a comeback from 177 for 7 to 344 total. Rehan picked four wickets and Shoaib Bashir claimed three for the Three Lions. Shakeel top-scored with 134 runs off 223 balls with the help of 5 fours.
"Playing for the country so such things don’t matter," Sajid Khan told broadcasters after Day 2's play. "The team needs me. In domestic I have a few fifties but in internationals my duty is to help the set batters that are out there. Today Saud was there and I had to support him. Few of them (English players) know Urdu so we tried to confuse them. If we can get Root early tomorrow, we can reach a strong position."
