10th over: Pakistan 33-0 (Shafique 14, Masood 15) Masood pushes at the first ball of the day and gets a thickish edge that runs away for four. The next shot is a more convincing one – Root is short and Masood punches through the off side for four more. And then Root beats the bat with a sharp off-break! Masood then collects his third boundary of the over, coming down the track to drive over extra cover. A very entertaining start to the day.
Right then, let’s get going. Joe Root’s got the ball.
Azhar Ali will almost certainly walk out to bat in Test cricket for the final time today. It’s been a truly stellar career, but also a massive shame that most of it has clashed with Pakistan having to make the UAE their home. This is just his 10th Test match in Pakistan. I hope he gets a decent ovation when he makes his way out there.
Here’s a better catch-up from yesterday:
Preamble
Hello, folks! Sunday saw a 23-year-old showcase his sporting prowess to the world with a truly scintillating individual performance.
Yes, that’s right, Harry Brook was at it again, hitting his third century of the series as England put up 354 to grab a 50-run first-innings lead. He’s special, this kid – and the Test numbers are quite something right now: six innings, 480 runs @ 80, SR: 92.13, 1 half-century, 3 tons.
Pakistan’s openers Abdullah Shafique and Shan Masood managed to see off nine overs before the close of play, surviving against that famed new-ball duo of, um, Jack Leach and Joe Root.
I’ll be back in a bit – as ever, send in your thoughts, queries, song requests, etc.
