PAK vs ENG: Shan, Saud make Pakistan steady after bowling out England for 267

• Pak vs Eng: England wins the toss and decides to bat in third test.
• Spinners lead superior role to down English batters.
• Sajid Khan quickly dismisses Ben Stokes after lunch.

RAWALPINDI: After bowling out England for 267 in their first innings, Pakistan’s top order struggled on the opening day of the deciding third Test at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium. By the end of the day, the hosts had lost three key wickets, finishing at 73/3.

England’s Shoaib Bashir dismissed Abdullah Shafique (14) in the 9th over, followed by Jack Leach taking out Saim Ayub (19) in the 12th. Gus Atkinson delivered a major blow to Pakistan by sending Kamran Ghulam back to the pavilion for just 3 runs. Despite the early setbacks, skipper Shan Masood (16) and Saud Shakeel (16) managed to stabilize Pakistan’s innings as day one concluded.

The three-match series is currently tied at 1-1, making this Test a crucial decider.

Earlier, England’s Jamie Smith (89) and Ben Duckett (52) scored half-centuries, but the rest of the batting order struggled against Pakistan’s spinners. Sajid Khan and Noman Ali dominated, with Sajid claiming six wickets and Noman taking three, while Zahid Mahmood chipped in with one wicket.

After England captain Ben Stokes (12) was dismissed, Jamie Smith played a crucial knock, scoring 89 off 119 balls, with Atkinson contributing 39 off 71. Zahid Mahmood eventually dismissed Smith in the 62nd over, and Noman Ali took a return catch to dismiss Atkinson.

Pakistan’s spin duo Sajid Khan and Noman Ali wreaked havoc on England’s lineup, reducing the visitors to 110-5 in a single session. Despite Duckett’s solid start, England’s batting collapsed on a turning pitch. Ben Stokes, who opted to bat first, found his team struggling.

Sajid Khan claimed the key wicket of Joe Root lbw for five with a sharply turning ball, while Noman Ali trapped Zak Crawley (29), and Sajid dismissed Ollie Pope (3) for the third consecutive time in the series. Duckett reached his half-century but was later dismissed lbw by Noman Ali.

At the end of England’s innings, they were 118-6, with Jamie Smith (7*) and Gus Atkinson (0*) at the crease. Pakistani spinners Sajid and Noman had taken four and two wickets, respectively, by this point in the match.

Playing XIs

Pakistan: Abdullah Shafique, Saim Ayub, Shan Masood (captain), Kamran Ghulam, Saud Shakeel, Muhammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper), Salman Agha, Aamer Jamal, Noman Ali, Sajid Khan, Zahid Mahmood

England: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (captain), Jamie Smith (wicketkeeper), Rehan Ahmed, Gus Atkinson, Jack Leach, Shoaib Bashir

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