ENG vs PAK Test 3 Day 2 in SouthamptonEngland vs Pakistan (ENG vs PAK) 3rd Test Day 2 Live Cricket Score Updates: England resumed Day 2 on 332/4, wit Zak Crawley (171*) and Jos Buttler (87*) resuming their 205-run stand. Rain halted play twice in the morning session.
England dominated the opening day of the third and final match of the series against Pakistan at the Rose Bowl in Southampton with the hosts leading 1-0. Pakistan face a tough task getting back into a match that looked like going its way when England was reduced to 127/4 following the dismissals of Joe Root (29) and Ollie Pope (5). The tourists then lost control amid the shot-making of Crawley and Buttler, with even the reliable Yasir Shah losing his way and getting hit for 107 off 28 overs.
Another rain stoppage! Again, there is a cloud burst. Again the players scurry away and the covers come on. England have scored 4 runs in two spells of play totalling 7.3 overs. A frustrating day of cricket so far.
Pakistan Review for Lbw against Buttler as Shaheeen continues from the other end. And Reviews show it would have missed the stumps. Pakistan lose a Review. Nervous start to the session for both batsmen. Buttler on 91, Crawley on 171. ENG 336/4 after 97
Abbas resumes his over as play restarts. Crawley to face. Abbas draws a chance straightaway. Crawley gets a bat pad that loops up but Pakistan don't have any one in a catching position.
4 runs were scored in 5.4 overs in the morning before rain come down quite suddenly in Southampton. Lunch has been pushed back by an hour as a result, with the first session to resume soon. Shaheen has looked short of ideas in this Test so far, despite the Burns wicket early on. Could Azhar Ali go to Naseem for a change?
The umpires are out in the middle. Bright sunshine prevailing for now. And the verdict is in. Play to start at 5:10 pm IST. Lunch has been moved back to 6:30 pm IST.
The covers are still in place. But with the drizzle having stopped, the ground staff are on the ground, mopping up the puddles. This 3rd Test has a much better weather forecast in place than the 2nd Test, which was washed out.
And after 5.4 overs in the day, rain comes down in Southampton again. Just 4 runs added by England before they run off into the pavilion. The weather forecast for the day looks good actually, let's hope this is nothing more than a passing shower. ENG 336/4 after 95.4
First runs of Day 2 come with Buttler making himself big and cutting a short Shaheen delivery as the bowler continues bowling wide off the stumps. Abbas holds a more overpitched length. Crawley leans forward and defends. Abbas, targetting the stumps more, is proving to be more dangerous though, beats Crawley's bat by inches with one ball. This is England’s first 200+ partnership for the 5th or lower wicket in a home Test since 2010.
Afridi begins with a maiden over. But all those six balls are fired wide outside off stump. Shaheen, and possibly all of Pakistan's pacers (as will be seen in the next few overs) sticking to their wide outside off stump line to start Day 2 as well. Waiting for the batsmen to make a mistake more than forcing anything. Abbas partners Shaheen with the ball. And he bowls a maiden to start as well. 2 overs without runs. ENG 332/4 after 92
The players are set to begin Day 2. Michael Atherton and Shane Warne take position in the comm box. Crawley and Buttler prance out to the middle. They'll be continuing their 205-run stand. How they transformed the day yesterday with their attacking partnership. How will the teams fare today? Shaheen Afridi bowls the first over, Buttler faces.
Buttler took a lot of the pressure from Crawley's shoulders with a typically proactive knock late in the day yesterday, but as we near the start of Day 2, all eyes are on the 22-year-old English No 3. He has scored his first Test ton in his 8th match, and is set to reach the double ton mark as well. 10 minutes or so from the start of the day.
"When I was about 91, I was really nervous. Jos didn't think I was, so I must have been hiding it pretty well!," said Crawley. "It was handy batting with Jos - he's a very calm head and he's always telling you to keep switched on. I think that's why we managed to get a good partnership today," he was quaoted as saying by Skysports. "It was the best feeling I've had on a cricket field - hopefully there's a few more to come."
The first day of the final Test could not have gone better for England, nor could it have gone much worse for Pakistan. Zak Crawley scored an unbeaten 171, his maiden Test century, and Jos Buttler rattled out a blazing 87, as England ended the day on 332/4 and Pakistan sunk without a trace.
It was not just that Crawley ended the day unbeaten on 171 off 269 deliveries. It was everything about his innings—his poise and purpose, his stroke-play and shot-selection, and his late acceleration that put even Buttler to shade—that foretells a distinguished career. There were other impressive traits, like the ability to change his pace of scoring depending on the bowling and match situations. At one stage he didn’t score off 27 balls, at another juncture, he racked 40 off 27. (READ MORE)
Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the third and final Test between England and Pakistan. It is the second day in Southampton and Zak Crawley eyes a double century while Buttler is nearing a century. It is expected to be an exciting start at the Rose Bowl on Saturday. Stay tuned for live score and updates of the match here.