Sharjah: Yasir Shah and Zulfiqar Babar took the battle to England today morning as Pakistan seem headed to a 2-0 win at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium in the gulf emirate of Sharjah.
Yasir and Babar claimed two wickets each within the first eight overs of the fifth day’s play of the third Test, taking England down to 59-6, in their chase of a 284-run target.
Joe Root was the first to depart as Yasir trapped him leg before in just the second over of the day.
Supporting Yasir from the other end, Babar got rid of James Taylor (two) in the 27th over of the innings as the batsman knicked the ball straight into the hands of Younis Khan on the first slip.
Jonny Bairstow (nought) was the next to go. As Yasir pushed through, the batsman attempted a sweep but got beaten by the turn, resulted in an LBW.
Bairstow reviewed the decision, only to be left disappointed in the end.
Babar trapped Samit Patel (nought) leg before on the very first delivery the batsman faced, adding more to the England’s misery.
England captain Alastair Cook was still on the crease with Adil Rashid, trying to build up a partnership to steady their innings and put the pressure back on Pakistan.
England started the day needing 238 runs for a series-levelling victory.
Earlier at the end of day four’s play, another Pakistani spinner Shoaib Malik had grabbed two early wickets to hit England hard.
Malik, due to quit Test cricket after this match, trapped Moeen Ali (22) leg-before and then bowling out Ian Bell (nought) in successive overs.
England’s best chase in all Test cricket is the 332 they made against Australia at Melbourne in 1928 while they have not reached more than a 209-run target in Asia, achieved against Bangladesh at Dhaka five years ago.
England could have dismissed Pakistan for less than 355 in their second innings and subsequently chasing an easier target had they not dropped two crucial catches, of Hafeez on 113 and Asad Shafiq, who made 46, on 29.
