Well Saeed Ajmal made England cry and I think they will be unhappy to not have had England out for less then 150.
Big first innings deficit coming up. England might regret not playing two spinners, but Pakistan have to bat last and that might just save England.
Well, Pakistans batting is brittle, but Younis Khan is the key and Taufeeq Umer has been in good form.
No excuses. Outplayed today - some poor shot selection, aiding good bowling. England is well behind at the moment and it is going to take something special on a pitch which looks like it doesn’t have much pace in it for the seamers for them to get back into it. A draw would be a success - and may require some Brisbane 2010 style batting from Cook, Strauss and Trott to achieve it.
Terrible day for England, but a great one for Pakistan and makes for an interesting series. Amazing job from Ajmal, not often a spinner takes a 5-for on the first day. He looked pretty average in England in 2010, he seems to have built up a lot of confidence since then. I’m not downcast, we’ve shown are capable of turning around dire situations in recent times. Really can’t see us running through Pakistan tomorrow, but if we can keep the pressure on and bat much better in the 2nd innings this match could still be a contest. Prior showed how to play on a slow, low pitch - with patience. He has played similar innings on the sub-continent before, contrary to his normal style.
This is a big year for us. We’ll find out if we really have a top side capable of winning against everyone and in all conditions, or mearly a good one.
42 for none. Tomorrow is the key, especially the first session. If the openers can back up and get a good score on the board, then I think a lead of 250 plus is not out of the question. If England can take wickets tomorrow early then they can mitigate the damage and set Pakistan a challenging score to win. I would, with great regret, back England.
Well Pakistan are always tough to play at ‘home’.
If pressed I would have favoured England to win this one before the match, but look pretty wrong at the moment. As AK84 says above the second morning is key for both sides.
I’m loving the test cricket this (southern) summer. From a rare win in Australia for New Zealand, a pretty close series between South Africa and Sri Lanka to India’s abject collapses in Australia there’s a lot going on. And there seem to be unusually few draws.
The Daily Mail is busy crying about Ajmal’s action.
Well its nice and evenly balanced. If Hafeez and Younis can build on the start, then things are looking rosy. Of course goldilocks has done well for England and if they can get another one, it would become very interesting indeed.
That’s predictable.
176/3 as I write, with Hafeez gone for 88 but with Younis well set. Pakistan in a strong position, but a couple quick wickets would put them under pressure again, and that’s the joy of test cricket.
Just as I was about to say that Swann wasn’t looking all that threatening, he gets Hafeez lbw while trying to sweep. Pakistan referred it, but the decision held.
Younis falls to Trott. Trott!
TMS are currently talking about Jonathan Agnew’s vasectomy.
England are still well behind here. Need a few more wickets and those right quick to narrow the gap. Trott is apparently quite threatening!
Yeah, he got Misbah-ul-Haq to edge one for four as well.
Hafeez will be kicking himself. Looks like he decided to go after Swann, with a four and six in the previous over, then got out sweeping the next.
Well, Hafeez did something similar in the World Cup Semi Finals. This pair need to play on. A lead of 100 is nothing in this match, especially with England’s bowling. However, If Pakistan can get to say 400, then they will be in the drivers seat. The next two sessions are crucial.
This is dangerous for Pakistan, Asad gone, 231/5. Anderson getting a bit swing with the new ball, and the tail now only a wicket away.
Well the loss of the last two wickets make it Englands day. Although a 100 run deficit is not exactly good news, they are back in it. If the Pakistani tail can wag and get another 50 runs (unlikely) then England have a real struggle on their hands, otherwise, its swinging in their direction.
Much better day for England. I get the feeling that the bowlers are getting back in the groove again, they looked terribly rusty yesterday. That may have been an issue with the batsmen as well so here’s hoping that they’ve now blown the cobwebs out and can make a decent fist of the 2nd innings. There’s still nothing scary about the pitch and the squad is strong enough, the only slightly forgiveable excuse is lack of real match practice.
Yet to see the highlights but TMS were full of praise for the bowlers today (when not discussing delicate operations). Basically saying that England kept it tight and worked hard for what they got - Boycott even saying it’s not the bowlers’ fault that the bats played badly yesterday. The last couple of wickets could well be crucial. If England can shoot them out before the deficit gets to 120, it will be back in the England bats’ hands - they must perform better than on day 1.
A good day of somewhat old-style test cricket. By all accounts, England have bowled well, while Pakistan haven’t given much away. Pakistan have a very useful lead, but aren’t in as strong a position as they were at the close yesterday. Best case for England - knock over the tail and post 400+, giving Pakistan a difficult chase on what might be a wearing pitch. I’d be very surprised if we bat as badly 2nd time around, but that could still be a big ask. Most of our batsmen are more comfortable with the ball coming onto the bat.
Good to see Pakistan’s revival is genuine after the recent upheavals, wasn’t quite sure what to expect from them. I knew they had a very good run of results in the last 18 months, but also that they have been playing weak sides for the most part.