Jamie Smith’s impressive innings of 89 provided England with a solid foundation on the first day of the third Test against Pakistan in Rawalpindi. This came despite Sajid Khan’s outstanding performance, where he claimed six wickets, leaving England all out for a total of 267.
Joining forces with Gus Atkinson, who scored 39, Smith engineered a remarkable seventh-wicket partnership of 107 runs that had the Pakistani bowlers on the back foot after a dominant start in the morning. His innings included 11 boundaries, with six of them being sixes, a record for an English player in Asia. This was also his first half-century in away matches since making his debut at the beginning of the 2024 summer.
After the lunch interval, England found themselves at 110 for 5, primarily thanks to Ben Duckett’s contribution of 52 runs. Although the situation was somewhat precarious after Ben Stokes won the toss, the pitch conditions did not suggest a dire predicament. Smith and Atkinson propelled the score to 242 for 8 by the tea break, ensuring that England had runs on the board as they headed into the remainder of the match.
The tourists began their innings positively, achieving an opening partnership of 50 runs in just 12 overs. However, Zak Crawley, who was playing his 50th Test match, fell victim to Noman Ali. The score quickly deteriorated from 56 for 0 to 98 for 5 in just 12.5 overs, as the duo of Sajid Khan and Noman Ali bowled a combined 30 overs in the morning session.
Utilizing the low bounce of the pitch effectively, Duckett (who had taken a blow to the boot), Joe Root (who was trapped lbw), and Harry Brook (who was bowled while attempting a sweep shot) all succumbed to deliveries that failed to rise as expected. It wasn’t until the 42nd over that Shan Masood opted for his first bowling change, replacing Sajid, who had just dismissed Stokes caught at slip 11 balls into the second session for his fourth wicket. Sajid later returned to complete Noman’s opening spell after 23 overs.
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At 118 for 6, Atkinson entered the fray alongside Smith, forming a strong partnership that was reminiscent of an all-Surrey combination. Their roles became more pronounced as the century partnership unfolded. Both players started cautiously, with Smith taking 94 balls to reach his fifty, but they accelerated dramatically, scoring the last 39 runs in just 21 deliveries.
Atkinson instigated the surge, striking three fours in the final four balls of the 56th over, targeting legspinner Zahid. Following this, Smith capitalized on Sajid’s bowling, hitting two boundaries, although his third six could have resulted in his dismissal if Saud Shakeel had been positioned correctly at long on.
Had Shakeel been positioned further back on the boundary, he might have taken the catch to end Smith’s innings at 54. Unfortunately for Sajid, this missed opportunity led to two more boundaries being struck by Smith in the following over—one soaring over midwicket for six and another elegantly lofted for a one-bounce four.
This partnership saw the seventh wicket contribute 103 runs off just 159 balls. Although the partnership concluded at 107 when Noman caught Atkinson off his own bowling, Smith continued his assault, hitting two sixes off Zahid as he moved towards his second Test century. A potential third six was thwarted by Sajid, who performed remarkable fielding to prevent the boundary after catching the ball twice.
Ultimately, Smith fell just nine runs short of a century, caught after a top-edge on a heave, concluding an outstanding innings and enhancing Zahid’s bowling figures to 1 for 44 from 10 overs. This was Pakistan’s first wicket by a bowler other than Sajid or Noman in 28 runs, as the two had combined for all 20 wickets in the second Test in Multan.
Leach and Rehan, who returned to the side for his first international appearance since February, resumed play after the break but didn’t last long. Sajid dismissed both players, marking his fifth and sixth wickets of the match, and bringing his tally to 15 wickets across three innings since his recall in Multan.
Innings: England 267 (Smith 89, Duckett 52, Sajid 6-128) vs Pakistan
