Robinson dominates again as Pakistan face three-day defeat
Jamie Smith frees his arms • Philip Brown/Getty Images
Tea - England 453 (Brook 75, Smith 69, Lawrence 65, Gay 60, Robinson 50, Razaullah 4-148) lead Pakistan 133 (Shakeel 43, Tongue 4-42, Robinson 3-15, Archer 3-25) by 320 runs
Jamie Smith and Ollie Robinson joined the ranks of the half-centurions as England built a 320-run lead on first innings over Pakistan in the third Test at Edgbaston.
While no England batter was able to kick on to a hundred, Smith and Robinson joined Harry Brook, Dan Lawrence and Emilio Gay in the runs as England were bowled out for 453 on the stroke of tea on day two after they had slumped to 39 for 3 on the first day.
Smith had gone to lunch unbeaten on 47, while Robinson came to the crease once debutant seamer Mohammad Imran Randhawa had pegged back Gus Atkinson's off stump with a gem after the break.
Robinson proceeded to an authoritative 50 off just 47 balls including a six plundered into the stands beyond deep midwicket off Mohammad Abbas. Smith raised his fifty off 54 deliveries with an equally assertive punch through the covers off Razaullah, one of nine fours in his innings of 69.
Razaullah - another of Pakistan's three debutants and their most impressive, if expensive, in a game of very few highlights for the tourists - accounted for Smith and Robinson and finished with four wickets . Smith fell to a simple return catch off a leading edge and Robinson picked out Shan Masood at cover.
Earlier, Lawrence and Brook added 73 runs within the first hour of a morning session offering more inviting batting conditions than a heavily overcast opening day which yielded 14 wickets.
Lawrence looked fluent, unfurling eight boundaries including back-to-back fours off Razaullah and two in one over from Abbas, hammered through midwicket and cut with venom through backward point.
So was with palpable frustration that he roared "no!" as he attempted to thread a length ball outside off from Randhawa through backward point but succeeded only in chopping onto his stumps for 65. It was Lawrence's third fifty of the series and the seventh of his Test career but a century continues to elude him.
That was after Brook had run himself out chancing Masood's very good arm after prodding a Saim Ayub delivery towards midwicket, ending up well short of his ground as the bowler broke the stumps at the non-striker's end.
At the tea break, England confirmed that Smith wouldn't field and Jordan Cox would keep wicket in Pakistan's second innings after Smith copped a nasty knock to his left ring finger standing up to the stumps to Robinson on Wednesday. Smith gave away no signs of discomfort with the bat, launching Ayub down the ground for six off the 11th ball he faced.
Archer pumped two sixes into the stands on the leg side, off Mohammad Ali and Razaullah, and remained unbeaten on 32 off 27 as Josh Tongue was last man out, caught behind off Ali.
Valkerie Baynes is a general editor, women's cricket, at Cricinfo
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