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Jos Buttler and Chris Woakes each hit fifties to offer England a three-wicket victory within the first Test in opposition to Pakistan at Old Trafford on Saturday. England, set a difficult 277 to win, have been struggling at 117-5 on the fourth day. But World Cup winners Buttler and Woakes counter-attacked. At the drinks break, England have been 216-5 — simply 61 runs shy of victory. Buttler was 53 not out and Woakes 54 not out.
Wicketkeeper Buttler had had a poor match within the subject, twice lacking Shan Masood on 45 through the Pakistan opener’s first-innings 156.
Although he is without doubt one of the world’s main white-ball batsmen, Buttler had only one century in 44 Tests coming into this match, being performed behind closed doorways due to the coronavirus.
But whether or not it was cover-driving leg-spinner Shadab Khan or pulling teenage paceman Naseem Shah for an additional boundary, Buttler was in a position to put the strain again on Pakistan.
Together with Woakes he shared a fifty stand in simply 49 balls.
And his personal half-century got here off simply 55 balls, with seven fours.
Runs got here from each ends with Woakes citing a 59-ball fifty when he cover-drove Naseem for the eighth boundary of his innings.
It was his highest Test rating since his hundred in opposition to India two years in the past.
Although he’s identified to be susceptible to the brief ball, Pakistan didn’t pitch brief to the Warwickshire all-rounder till he was nicely set.
Only twice has a staff chased greater than 200 to win within the fourth innings of a Test at Old Trafford, with England making 294-Four in opposition to New Zealand in 2008 and 231-3 in opposition to the West Indies in 2004.
– Collapse –
England, attempting to finish a run of dropping the primary Test in every of their final 5 sequence, have been making regular progress at 96-1.
However, they misplaced 4 wickets for 31 runs in slipping to 117-5, with captain Joe Root and Ben Stokes each falling within the collapse.
After Mohammad Abbas had pinned Rory Burns lbw, fellow opener Dom Sibley and skipper Root saved Pakistan at bay.
But leg-spinner Yasir Shah lured Sibley (36) into an edged drive that was nicely caught by Asad Shafiq at slip.
Root made a composed 42 earlier than he edged Naseem to Babar Azam within the slips.
Stokes had guided England to an astounding one-wicket win over Australia from a seemingly hopeless place with a superb century within the third Ashes Test final 12 months.
But there was no repeat of his Headingley heroics on Saturday when he fell for simply 9, with wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan, spectacular behind the stumps all through this match, holding a superb catch after Stokes acquired a skinny glove to a Yasir googly that bounced.
It wanted a Pakistan assessment to substantiate Stokes’ dismissal — a daring choice by captain Azhar Ali after the vacationers had squandered a assessment in opposition to Stokes moments earlier.
But the TV umpire was not required when Ollie Pope obtained a brute of a ball from towering left-arm paceman Shaheen Afridi that lept off a size, the ball ballooning to Shadab as he ran ahead from gully.
Promoted
Earlier, Pakistan resumed on 137-8, a lead of 244, earlier than Yasir led a tailend rally that noticed 32 runs added in simply 16 balls earlier than his staff have been dismissed for 169 of their second innings.
Yasir struck a quickfire 33 off 24 balls that included consecutive boundaries off quick bowler Jofra Archer and a six off Stuart Broad.
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