Razaullah lights up for Pakistan to slow down England’s victory march in third Test

Much has been made of the four-pronged pace attack that England have switched to since the mid-summer retirement of Ben Stokes, even comparisons with the fabled line-up that won the 2005 Ashes. But there have been questions, too.

How, for example, might they fare when conditions are not as juicy as those in which they have routinely gutted Pakistan’s batting line-up in this series? Would the lack of a frontline spinner be a problem on days when the Dukes ball is not drunkenly lurching this way and that off its wobbling seam?

Albeit too late to change the outcome of a series England lead 2-0, those questions were finally asked of Joe Root’s men on the third day at Edgbaston and the upshot was three sessions of graft. Pakistan finished on 449, leading by 129 runs. England, against all expectations at the start of play, will chase on the fourth day.

Just as unexpected was the source of the late runs that tipped Pakistan into the lead, with debutant Razaullah walking out at 312 for seven in the final session – still eight runs in arrears – and unleashing a remarkable salvo. The 21-year-old smoked nine sixes en route to 81, while the experienced Mohammad Abbas similarly enjoyed himself as the other half of a three-figure stand.

Root would have preferred a quick kill, clearly, but in the long term this day will serve his side well. Thanks to a patient 95 from Shan Masood, an elegant 76 from Babar Azam, and a broader sense of defiance from Pakistan, they were forced to chisel out their wickets here. Root had to deploy umbrella fields and bouncer plans, rather than simply lock Ollie Robinson in at one end and watch him go to work.

Robinson was still the thriftiest on show but could not add to his two wickets overnight. Instead, after Dan Lawrence claimed the only breakthrough of the morning, it was Gus Atkinson who led the way in terms of wickets.

Three strikes may not leap off the page but as the man to remove Masood, and then puncture two holes in the lower middle order, his low-key series was ending on a slightly brighter note – until Razaullah started swinging hard. Atkinson has been adjusting to a new role, having been bumped off new-ball duties, left with fewer wickets to claim, and often finding himself bowling to batters with reduced ambitions. The ball to crush Masood’s dream of an eighth Test century was a fine piece of bowling and a pretty stunning catch, too. Lawrence dived full stretch for a one-handed take from fourth slip that sent a gasp around the ground.

Those bouncer plans also paid off for Root, with Josh Tongue persuading Babar to glove behind after a couple of heart-in-mouth moments, and Jofra Archer wiping out Saud Shakeel on 29 with a brute. Both quicks leaked runs either side of this, admittedly, and England versus the tail remains an issue. But the removal of two set men did show the value of their extra air speed.

Another plus for Root was Jordan Cox who, after stepping in behind the stumps in the absence of Jamie Smith, ensured no drop-off. Cox took an excellent reflex catch down leg to remove Azan Awais for 59 in the morning, while the flying effort to pouch Babar justified his wild punch of the air. Smith should not feel twitchy just yet but Cox should mean no other back-up is required in South Africa this winter.

On a pretty shambolic tour overall, Pakistan could finally walk a bit taller at stumps and the Edgbaston crowd had got bang for its buck. The majority of ticket-holders had arrived in that strange mental space of wanting England to finish off the job but not too quickly as to waste the day off work they had booked.

But a morning in which the tourists turned 52 for two into 184 for three by lunch provided the first evidence that this was not going to be nearly so straightforward. The ball was just 13 overs young and yet the sun was out, swing was negligible, and the pitch was far snoozier than earlier in the match.

Even the one wicket to fall came from an unlikely source when at 12.25pm, and with his quicks needing a breather, Root turned to Lawrence’s whirligig off-breaks. Two balls and a smart review was all it took, even if putting on 125 with Masood, and making a gutsy 46 at Lord’s, has made Azan a small plus for Pakistan.

England’s day might have been very different had substitute fielder Theo Wylie held a low catch at point off Masood on 40. Root was quick to run over to console the youngster after the ball burst through his hands while Tongue, the bowler denied, chose to keep his emotions in check. By the end they may well have felt differently.