England are left on the brink of series defeat as Pakistan’s spin twins twist the knife to put hosts in charge of third Test

Brendon McCullum insisted ahead of this series that England’s 3-0 win in Pakistan two years ago was an ‘outlier’. As his team’s fortunes unfolded on the second day of this decisive Test, those words took on a grim prophetic quality.

When three quick wickets for Rehan Ahmed before lunch reduced the Pakistanis to 177 for seven, still 90 adrift on a pitch apparently destined to deteriorate, England were in control and looking forward to a victory that would break their record of the would never lose a three-Test series. after a 1-0 lead.

Instead they encountered Saud Shakeel, who has put together an extremely patient century, and the antics of Noman Ali and Sajid Khan, who have loomed like bogeymen – with ball and bat – over England since their recall for the second Test in Multan.

Firstly, they helped Shakeel add 167 for the last three wickets when Ben Stokes’ Midas touch let him down in the field.

When England faced a first-innings deficit of 77, Sajid overturned umpire Sharfuddoula’s lbw decision against Ben Duckett, the only member of the top six to have made any progress on the opening day. It felt like a pivotal moment, for the Test and the series.

Five balls later, not to be outdone, Noman pinned Zak Crawley – a diminished player against spin – for middle and leg to make it 15 for two. And it was 20 for three when Ollie Pope aimed a trademark jab at Noman and was caught at slip for a single by a jubilant Salman Agha.

Pope trudged away with a series batting average of 11, and the feeling that whatever he has to offer this team, it won’t be regular runs at No. 3. England insist his struggles are not a problem, but a total of 102 from 11 innings either side of his 154 against Sri Lanka at The Oval raises disagreements. Yes, it could get big, but that’s if it ever gets off the ground.

The fading light saved England another seventeen minutes of torment at the hands of the Pakistani spinners, but as Joe Root and Harry Brook walked away with the scoreboard reading 24 for three, the two Yorkshire men lacked their usual resilience. This was a daunting day for their side, no matter how much optimism flows through the dressing room.

The change in mood was all the more painful because England were in charge of the first session, which was extended by half an hour because of Friday prayers. Shoaib Bashir had Shan Masood well caught by Pope at second slip for 26, before three wickets in five overs before lunch as Ahmed swung the pendulum their way.

Mohammad Rizwan and Agha were both lbw, and Aamir Jamal was bowled by a googly that bounced into the ground from his defensive shot and then landed back on the stumps.

However, Shakeel adapted his game in a way that had proven itself outside England on day one, at least until Jamie Smith and Gus Atkinson aimed for the ground rather than square of the wicket.

Shakeel was dismissed early by Smith on 26 off Bashir, a tricky chance that deflected off the wicketkeeper’s left shin before he could react, and Shakeel began to make England pay in his own quiet way. With little use of the sweep, he advanced from 50 to 100 with 44 singles and three twos, a masterclass in no-nonsense accumulation that almost made a mockery of his opponents’ cross-bat swipes.

Noman was equally solid, beating England in a stand of 88 that put Pakistan ahead, before missing a hoick off Bashir and having a leg-before of 45 in the last over before tea.

England’s reprieve was transitory. Sajid boldly went where Noman had gone before, mowing Bashir for three sixes as 43 runs came from three overs of chaos. The Pakistani off-spinner has been a force of nature in this series. Now his run-a-ball unbeaten 48 felt like the innings that broke the English spirit.

For once, Stokes seemed to be chasing the game. He didn’t continue with the sprightly Ahmed after lunch, ignored Atkinson for 26 overs and didn’t use himself at all. England insisted there were no concerns about his fitness, but he allowed the game to drift and looked powerless to prevent the flow of singles.

Last week, Stokes apologized to his teammates for losing his cool as England’s fielding fell apart in Multan. This time he felt strangely passive.

Remembering Atkinson, Shakeel was immediately left in two minds against the short ball, spooning a simple catch to midwicket for 134. Ahmed bowled Zahid Mahmood’s first ball with a well-aimed googly, but the damage had already been done. The force was located near Pakistan.

A grinning Ahmed, whose our for 66 compared favorably to the combined four of Jack Leach and Bashir for 234, later claimed that the mood was ‘still quite positive, there’s so much batting to come’. But England will have to do their utmost to take Pakistan to the kind of total – at least 200 – that will create jitters at home.

Last week in Multan, circumstances conspired against England: condemned to bat last on a repurposed pitch, they were always against it.

There are fewer excuses this time, even on a surface made to order for the Pakistani spinners. England won the toss but then – with the exception of Duckett – batted poorly in the first session, as if determined to confirm the old stereotypes about playing spin in Asia.

And while Shakeel showed them how it was done, and Noman and Sajid had fun, England looked as helpless as ever under McCullum. A defeat here would be the worst result of his term. As the sun set over Rawalpindi, the Bazballers silently prayed for another miracle.