England Turn Screw in Pakistan 3rd Test Day 2 Charge

England – (Special Correpondent/Web Desk) – England Pakistan 3rd Test day 2 began with the home side firmly in control at Edgbaston. Harry Brook and Dan Lawrence walked out on a sunny Birmingham morning determined to build on their overnight lead. Pakistan, already trailing 2-0 in the series, needed early wickets to stay alive.

Lawrence looked in fine touch from the start. He raced to his half-century off just 47 balls, striking eight boundaries along the way. His confident strokeplay put real pressure on the tired Pakistan bowlers.

Brook matched him stroke for stroke. The Yorkshireman looked set for another Test hundred, his eleventh, as the pair added 86 runs together. Then came a moment nobody expected.

Brook flicked a ball to mid-wicket and called for a quick single. Saim Ayub swooped on it fast, and a sharp throw from Shan Masood beat him to the crease. Brook was out for 75, and he could not hide his frustration, throwing his bat in the air as he walked off.

The dismissal briefly slowed England’s charge, but Jamie Smith soon lifted the mood again. He struck spinner Saim Ayub back over his head for a clean six, showing no signs of nerves in only his latest Test outing.

Lawrence’s innings ended not long after. He chopped a ball from Mohammad Imran onto his own stumps, falling for 65 and handing the young all-rounder his first Test wicket. It was a costly mistake, but England’s total kept climbing.

By lunch, the hosts had reached a commanding 299 for 6, with Jamie Smith unbeaten on 47. The scoreboard told the story of a team firmly in charge of the match and the series.

Pakistan’s troubles started long before day two. Their first innings folded for just 133, with none of the top five batters reaching double figures. Only Saud Shakeel showed any real fight, scoring 43 before falling.

England’s pace attack did the early damage. Josh Tongue picked up four wickets, while Ollie Robinson and Jofra Archer took three each. Their disciplined bowling gave Pakistan’s batters almost nowhere to hide.

This is now the fifth straight innings in England where England Pakistan 3rd Test day 2   have failed to pass 200 runs. The tourists made four changes for this Test after sacking head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed and assistant Umar Gul following their heavy defeat at Lord’s.

There was some fight from Pakistan on day one. They removed Ben Duckett, Jordan Cox, and Joe Root cheaply, leaving England wobbling at 39 for 3. Opener Emilio Gay steadied things with a fighting 60 before debutant paceman Razaullah dismissed him.

With two Tests already lost, Pakistan now face an uphill battle to avoid a series whitewash. England, on the other hand, look well placed to complete a clean sweep in front of their home crowd at Edgbaston.

Fans now wait to see if Pakistan’s lower order can offer any real resistance, or if England push on for a big first innings lead this afternoon.