Rehan strikes as Pakistan Collides with only 3 wickets remaining in hand
Rehan strikes as Pakistan Collides with only 3 wickets remaining in hand
Rehan Ahmed's three wickets handed England the upper hand by lunch on day two of the third Test in Rawalpindi, with Pakistan at 187 for 7, trailing by 80 runs in their first innings.
Making his series debut and first international appearance since the India Test tour in early 2024, the young leg-spinner trapped Mohammad Rizwan and Salman Agha leg-before in quick succession. Rehan, 20, then claimed Aamer Jamal with a well-disguised googly that Jamal failed to read, dragging the ball onto his stumps.
Rehan's impressive figures of 3 for 24 in eight overs, including two maidens, invigorated the extended two-and-a-half-hour morning session, paused briefly for Friday prayers. The session had begun quietly, with skipper Shan Masood being the sole wicket to fall in the first hour, caught off Shoaib Bashir. Saud Shakeel, meanwhile, showed resilience, moving from his overnight score of 16 to notch his 11th fifty-plus score in Test cricket, currently unbeaten on 72.
Shakeel should have been dismissed earlier, though. On 26, he edged a ball from Bashir towards Jamie Smith, who couldn't grasp a low catch that ricocheted off his shin. Smith, who had batted for 119 balls in England's first innings score of 267, likely should have anticipated the ball's low bounce better.
Pakistan began the day on 73 for 3, trailing by 194, with Shakeel and Masood focused on steadying the innings rather than scoring quickly. Their cautious approach yielded only 26 runs in the first 40 minutes, and Masood eventually edged Bashir to Ollie Pope at second slip, who was standing close enough to need a helmet.
The partnership, which began late on day one at 46 for 3, was valuable, adding 53 runs from 130 deliveries and momentarily stalling England's momentum. Masood, the less comfortable of the two, occasionally played to leg with a leading edge, which led to his dismissal. Bashir, in reward for his control, outperformed Jack Leach, with both Somerset spinners sharing the bowling for the first hour.
Rizwan's arrival brought an uptick in runs, beginning with a six over midwicket off Leach in the 39th over—Pakistan's first boundary since the 26th. He followed up with a delicate guide for four off Gus Atkinson in the next over. Shakeel then reached his sixth half-century against England, using sweeps to good effect. However, with the team score at 150 and the partnership building, Rehan struck.
Rehan, who had announced himself with a five-wicket haul on debut against Pakistan in 2022, was on form again. Rizwan misread the drift and fell to a sweep shot, while Agha, deceived by the same subtle movement, was trapped lbw, with the umpire's call siding with England.
Agha, who had come into this Test in strong form with an unbeaten 107 and two scores of 63, fell for just 1, much to the delight of Ben Stokes and the England team. Stokes celebrated similarly when Jamal, who had been attempting a counterattack, edged onto his stumps while trying to play forward defensively.
The final boundary before lunch came from Noman Ali, who heaved down the ground in Rehan's last over of the session, marking the first boundary Rehan had conceded from his nine overs. Despite England's four wickets, Shakeel's presence at the crease keeps Pakistan's hopes of reaching parity alive.
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