Debutant Razaullah launched a remarkable late salvo as Pakistan finally showed some fight on Friday to keep England waiting for a clean sweep in their three-Test series. The fast bowler came to the crease with the tourists on the brink of defeat in the third Test at Edgbaston but clubbed nine sixes in an astonishing innings of 81 off 63 balls. Fellow paceman Mohammad Abbas also joined the party as the pair took the score from 318-8 to 439-9, with England seemingly powerless to stop the carnage late on the third day.
It means the teams will have to come back on Saturday, with the home home side needing to score 130 to wrap up a 3-0 win after dominating the series. Earlier, Shan Masood scored 95 and captain Babar Azam made 76 as much-changed Pakistan passed 200 for the first time in the series at the sixth attempt. Pakistan, facing a first-innings deficit of 320, lost two wickets without scoring a single run on Thursday but opener Azan Awais and the experienced Masood took the score to 125. Their partnership was broken in Friday’s morning session when Awais was caught down the leg side by stand-in wicketkeeper Jordan Cox off the bowling of spinner Dan Lawrence for 59, bringing Azam to the crease. Inspired, Abbas, with a previous top Test score of 29, smashed Ollie Robinson for six.
Joe Root’s side have dominated the series, winning the first game by an innings and 103 runs and the second by 194 runs.
Pakistan released seven players and sacked head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed and assistant Umar Gul after their defeat in the second Test, making four changes to their side in Birmingham.
