England was bowled out for 297 on the first day of the third Test against Pakistan on Wednesday after fast bowler Sohail Khan took five wickets in his first test match for five years. Gary Ballance (70) and Moeen Ali (63) hit fighting half centuries, but Sohail’s 5 for 96 vindicated his captain Misbah-ul-Haq’s decision to include him at the expense of Wahab Riaz and bowl first after winning the toss at Edgbaston.
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Ballance shared half-century stands with James Vince (39) and Moeen before being caught down the leg side off leg-spinner Yasir Shah.
The 32-year-old Sohail, who played last of his two test matches in 2011, took two wickets in each of the first two sessions before wrapping up the innings by trapping James Anderson leg before wicket. Mohammad Amir (2 for 53) had to wait until the second new ball for his two late wickets, while Rahat Ali also picked up 2 for 83.
Congrats >@therealPCB 's Sohail Kahn for a maiden Test five-wicket haul. And this clap press-up celebration >https://t.co/yr8Xfd7HcV
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) >August 3, 2016
Alastair Cook (45), who scored a century in England’s 330-run victory in the second test at Old Trafford, and Alex Hales started off confidently before Sohail struck in successive overs.
Cook batted aggressively and hit eight crisp boundaries off his legs and through the off side before Rahat got the England captain leg before wicket, leaving the hosts on 75 for 3.
Ballance and Vince then led England’s fightback with a 69-run fourth wicket stand before Sohail changed ends after lunch and got two more wickets. Vince, yet to establish himself in the middle order in the series, was smartly caught low in the second slip by Younis Khan. Jonny Bairstow was surprised with the bounce of a right-arm seamer and gave wicketkeeper Sarfraz Ahmed one of five catches.
Ballance batted resolutely and added further 66 runs with Moeen before Shah bowled around the wicket and got enough spin to get a thin edge of Ballance’s bat.
Moeen on 44 successfully overturned on-field umpire Bruce Oxenford’s decision, as the television replays clearly showed the ball didn’t touch the left-hander’s bat before being caught at forward short leg. Moeen soon completed his first half-century of the series with a pulled boundary off Rahat before Pakistan accounted for the last four wickets in six overs with the second new ball.
Pakistan dropped out-of-form opener Shan Masood for left-handed Sami Aslam, while Steven Finn came in for England in place of injured Ben Stokes, who will miss the rest of the Test series.
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