After a blistering first day of this series finale in Karachi, the true balance of power was yet to be revealed. But those present at the ground, or watching at home, were left in no doubt about the headline act, youngster Rehan Ahmed not only surviving his first day in white for England but positively thriving.
It started with a kiss, Ahmed embraced by his father, Naeem, after receiving his cap and with it, at 18 years and 126 days, he became England’s youngest Test cricketer. But that fairytale in the City of Lights didn’t end there, the leg artist’s two for 89 off 22 underscoring the potential Shane Warne once purred when, at 11, Ahmed winked to Alastair Cook and Ben Stokes in the nets at Lord’s.
The history of English wrist-spin cricket is littered with enough false dawns to prompt a degree of caution here. However, it was the manner in which these early figures were secured that was so uplifting. Once a morning effort of five overs, not out for 37 was out of his system, Ahmed grew in confidence, helping to bowl Pakistan out for 304 in 79 overs before England reached seven for one at stumps.
The first wicket was a beautiful breakthrough in the circumstances. Saud Shakeel was rebuilding alongside Babar Azam in the afternoon, guiding Pakistan to a solid 162 for three in the 42nd over and showing the kind of determination that has made the left-hander a perennial fixture in all series.
Stokes, a captain sitting at 2-0 and in search of a historic clean sweep on Pakistani soil, turned to Ahmed for inspiration. What followed was a treat, Ahmed first hit Shakeel’s outside edge with a googly and then with the follow up he tracked down exactly the same length with a leg break that fell, tickled the inside edge , came out of the pad. All that remained was for Ollie Pope to produce a wonderful one-handed catch at short leg and, although it took the use of technology for full confirmation, England were long celebrating.
That was the catalyst for Pakistan losing their last seven wickets for 142 runs, Ahmed also striking after tea when Faheem Ashraf, another left-hander, was caught by a delicious googly. By this stage the hosts had already lost Babar, needlessly all out for 78, and Mohammad Rizwan’s underwhelming run continued when he charged at Joe Root, got a full toss and stuck it to Stokes’ throat in between
Pakistan captain Babar Azam walks off the field after being dismissed for 78. Picture: Fareed Khan/AP
It may be that the top finishers on the board turn out to be match winners, as was the case with England in Multan. Zak Crawley’s pre-sunset demise, fifth-ball lbw to a fine slip from Abrar Ahmed, certainly meant Pakistan left happy with life. However, as positively as the hosts played all day, they were still left to rue a series of self-inflicted dismissals after Babar had finally won a toss.
Not that Stokes wasn’t enterprising again, such as asking Jack Leach to be the first England spinner to open the bowling on the first day of a Test match for 101 years: Somerset’s Jack White in 1921, l last. This was rewarded with the early dismissal of Abdullah Shafique lbw en route to figures of four for 140 from 31 overs.
It was just that, with England’s attack faltering a bit in the previous two Tests – Jimmy Anderson rested and Ben Foakes back behind the stumps – Pakistan had a golden opportunity to right some of the wrongs during his doomed pursuit in Multan and make even better use of it. of a surface that should deteriorate. Instead, there were some reps for Babar and his head coach Saqlain Mushtaq.
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That included two of the three wickets falling before lunch, although both players were called up for this match. Shan Masood had been lively early on, catching Leach for a couple of first fours. But on 30, the left-hander tried to take a short ball from Mark Wood, only to send a top edge flying to Leach at fine leg. On the stroke of the interval came another look down as Ollie Robinson returned from a moment off the field with a stomach complaint and removed Azhar Ali for 45.
Azhar, playing his last Test before retirement, delivered a right-handed replay of Shakeel’s demise last week. In this case, however, the only doubt was in the mind of Joel Wilson, now the on-field umpire, whose gentle signal not to come off was overruled by Marais Erasmus in the booth after replays showed that Foakes had held the ball cleanly.
Drinks-carrier during the victories at Rawalpindi and Multan, Foakes had provided an immediate reminder of his precise glove work. That was something he showed throughout a day when the ball skidded low off the seamers and ended when his drop catch ended with Babar off Harry Brook’s delivery.
Foakes also made a direct mess as Leach scooped up the last three wickets, Agha Salman’s batting 56 when he shrugged off a nasty knock on the neck from the indefatigable Wood, closed when the arm-spinner left found a sharp turn. This was one of the deliveries that suggested Pakistan’s position was still healthy enough, but Ahmed certainly remained the story.