BUMBLE ON THE TEST: Full marks to England for making the best of the Rawalpindi pitch

England overcame difficulties with the pitch at Rawalpindi to produce another thrilling day of action on the fourth day of their test with Pakistan.

Brendan McCullum’s side continued their crowd-pleasing style, with England captain Ben Stokes boldly challenging the hosts to play for the win on the final day declaring at tea time with all possible outcomes still on the table.

sports mail David ‘Bumble’ Lloyd picks his talking points as England chase just a third Test win in Pakistan.

Ben Stokes threw down the gauntlet as Pakistan went on to chase victory on the final day of the test.

TOP GRADES FOR ENGLAND FOR MAKING THE BEST OF RAWALPINDI’S PITCH

There has been a massive backlash on social media from both sets of supporters over this Rawalpindi release saying it’s just not acceptable.

Make no mistake, it’s what Pakistan captain Babar Azam told the curator what he wanted. He let him escape over the weekend. But full marks to the players because they have done their best.

Much has been made of the pitch at Rawalpindi, but England deserve top marks for running it.

STOKES DESERVES CREDIT FOR CHALLENGING PAKISTAN TO SEEK VICTORY

Once England made 657 Pakistan had to stay in the Test and they did very well. But then Ben Stokes dropped the gauntlet with a statement that put the onus on the hosts and said ‘it’s your pitch, it’s your turn’.

There were many who would have batted into the fifth morning if they were Stokes! But he said ‘let’s play’.

TEST CRICKET NEEDS A STRONG SHOWING IN THE MIDDLE OF A HOT SOCCER WORLD CUP

So will Pakistan try on the last day? We’ll see, but I know what I would do: try everything to win.

A hot soccer World Cup is taking place and everyone is glued to it. The big picture is that cricket competes with that, which is why Stokes and England hit the nail on the head by giving Pakistan four sessions to get 343.

BROOK IS THE REAL DEAL AND HAS EARNED COMPARISONS WITH PIETERSEN

I’ve seen Harry Brook up close in Yorkshire and he’s clearly the real deal.

What a performance in his second Test.

Joe Root said it’s like being on the other end of Kevin Pietersen and it doesn’t get any better than that!

Brook is tall as Pietersen and is an imposing figure. And there’s also a bit of KP in his shots.

Harry Brook’s performances have earned him the right to be compared to Kevin Pietersen

ROB KEY’S INFLUENCE ON THIS SIDE OF ENGLAND IS UNDENIABLE

It really is remarkable what England is doing. Take a look at some of the players taking their pick now: Brook, Liam Livingstone, Ben Duckett and Will Jacks! They all keep coming your way.

This policy has Rob Key written all over it. His meeting with Stokes and McCullum last summer was the perfect storm.

KEEPING BUSY IN THE GARDEN

Everyone knows I don’t have much to do these days, but I keep busy.

I just received a farm building for the garden. And I also bought a Victorian potting shed and greenhouse! And indoors I’ve started baking and am making my own home brew which is better than anything you can get in a pub!

PAKISTAN MEMORIES WITH ADAM HOLLIOAKE

But I would have loved to have been in Pakistan because I have very good memories of the place. I will never forget a training camp we had in Lahore when I was the England manager before the 1997 Champions Trophy in Sharjah.

Adam Hollioake led the charge and made sure we saw all the sights. That included the Badshahi Mosque, which is home to 110,000 people. We also went to the markets and Hollioake ended up on an elephant. Happy Days…

Adam Hollioake (right) led the charge as we toured the sights of Pakistan in 1997