KARACHI: Mystery spinner Abrar Ahmed petrified England with an early breakthrough on the stroke of day close after Pakistan were bowled out for 304 in the first innings on the opening day of the final Test, here at National Bank Cricket Arena on Saturday.
Abrar took down opener Zak Crawley in the very first over as England ended day one on 7/1 with Ollie Pope and Ben Duckett on the crease.
Skipper Babar Azam and Salman Agha notched-up fifties while retiring Azhar Ali managed 45 from 68 balls on a surface which proved equally helpful for the bowlers as well as batters.
Babar scored a blistering 78 from 128 balls and looked promising before a chaotic call for a single cut short his remarkable knock after the tea interval.
Salman Agha, however, prolonged his stay on the crease and raised his third Test fifty before he fell prey to Jack Leach after Pakistan went past the 300 mark.
In the final session, however, England spinners ran through the lower order with Leach dismissing three out of the bottom four batters while debutant Rehan removed Faheem Ashraf cheaply on 4.
Pakistan added 87 runs and lost two wickets in the Babar-dominated afternoon session as Saud Shakeel and Mohammad Rizwan fell prey to Rehan and Joe Root, respectively.
The 18-year-old leg spinner Rehan earned his first Test wicket for England when he dismissed Saud on 23 off 56, caught at short leg by Ollie Pope.
Wicket-keeper batter Rizwan hit three fours amid his quick 19 off 24 and tried to be on charge but found a toe-end of the bat off Root’s low full toss and was caught a deep-midwicket by Ben Stokes.
Earlier, retiring Azhar Ali looked in perfect shape to make his penultimate outing on the crease a memorable one before a leg-side strangle off Robinson with the original being overturned by the TV umpire ended his fine knock on 45 from 68 balls.
Unlike the opening sessions of the previous two Tests – Rawalpindi was dominated by English openers and Multan to the Abrar’s magical five-wicket haul – Karachi’s wicket seemed to strike a perfect balance between bat and ball.
Opting to bat first, Pakistan had an unwanted start as first Test centurion Abdullah Shafique was made to depart early without even crossing double figure when spinner Jack Leach plummed him with a new ball.
Shan Masood, who was appearing for the first time in the series replacing injured Imam-ul-Haq, played an exquisite knock of 30 off 37 laced with five boundaries before pace spearhead Mark Wood removed him.
Skipper Babar then joined Azhar on the crease and the two gathered 71 runs for the third wicket before England earned a vital breakthrough on the stroke of Lunch.
