Pakistan spinners reduce napping Englishmen to 140-4 in Karachi Test

KARACHI: Pakistan’s spinners Nauman Ali and Abrar Ahmed bagged three wickets before lunch as England fumbled to 140-4 on the second day of the third and final Test in Karachi on Sunday.

Resuming at 7-1, England lost three wickets in the morning session and trailed Pakistan’s first innings total of 304 by 164 runs with six wickets intact.

At the interval, Harry Brook and Ben Stokes were at the crease on 38 and 25 respectively as England looked to inflict a first-ever 3-0 clean sweep on Pakistan on their home grounds.

England won the first Test by 74 runs in Rawalpindi and the second in Multan by 26.

Brook has once again taken the attack to the Pakistan bowlers like he did with his twin centuries in the first two Tests, having so far hit two sixes and three boundaries.

With the National Stadium pitch offering turn, left-armer Nauman trapped Ben Duckett leg before for 26 and had the experienced Joe Root caught low in the slip by Agha Salman for nought on the next ball.

Ollie Pope stood firm amidst the dual wicket fall, reaching his 11th fifty before he was bowled by Ahmed for 51, adding to the wicket he took on Saturday.

Pope hit four boundaries in his knock.

Day 1

England dismissed Pakistan for 304 on the first day of the final Test of the series at Karachi’s National Stadium on Saturday, with home side skipper Babar Azam and Agha Salman putting on defiant half-centuries.

Babar hit a superb 78 at the top of the order while Salman made 56 later in the innings to take them to a respectable total as wickets fell regularly around them.

England were 7-1 at stumps with Ben Duckett (4) and Ollie Pope (3) batting together after Zak Crawley was trapped in front of the wicket for a duck in Abrar Ahmed’s opening over.

Pakistan, who have already lost the series with defeats in Rawalpindi and Multan, won the toss and opted to bat on another flat track. But the hosts were rocked by England, who made early inroads in the first session in their bid for a clean sweep.

Spinner Jack Leach (4-140) first removed Abdullah Shafique with the new ball and took the catch that sent back Shan Masood off the bowling of paceman Mark Wood to leave Pakistan at 46-2 inside 13 overs, before Azhar Ali steadied the ship.