Pakistan vs England: Dismal collapse leaves tourists on course for big defeat

Riaz runs through them: The quick celebrates Joss Buttler's wicket
Gareth Copley/Getty Images
David Clough24 October 2015

England's collapse on day three of the second Test left them in an unenviable position against Pakistan.

The tourists faltered alarmingly to Wahab Riaz (four for 66) and Yasir Shah (four for 93) before lunch in Dubai, losing seven wickets for 36 runs to concede a yawning first-innings deficit of 136.

At a venue where 137 is the highest successful chase to date, and on a pitch expected to provide increasing help for spin, batting last will surely be a daunting task.

England helped themselves a little, with a new-ball wicket each for James Anderson and Mark Wood, but had precious little room for manoeuvre as Pakistan moved to a teatime 92 for three and a lead of 228.

Anderson bowled admirably for figures of 4-4-0-1, claiming the wicket of Shan Masood for the fourth time in as many attempts when the left-hander was caught behind.

Jos Buttler was making instant amends for dropping Masood down the leg-side off Stuart Broad, and first-change Wood soon had Shoaib Malik edging an attempted drive on to his stumps.

But Mohammad Hafeez (51) and Younus Khan took over in a stand of 67.

It ended when, one ball after pulling a four for his 50, Hafeez edged a loose drive to slip to give Wood his fifth wicket of the match but Pakistan were still adequately consolidating their advantage.

England had resumed their first innings on 182 for three with hopes high, the prolific Joe Root unbeaten and another century perhaps in his sights.

England's Day Three collapse

206/4 Root - 88
212/5 Stokes- 4
216/6 Buttler - 0
218/7 Rashid - 0
223/8 Bairstow - 46
233/9 Wood - 1
242    Anderson - 4

But they were to go from 206 without further loss to 242 all out.

In an eventful first hour, described the previous evening by Broad as potentially the biggest of the match, England lost three wickets and were soon in even more trouble as Wahab took three for seven in his first eight overs of the day.

The wicket of Root (88) was always likely to be key and so it proved as England hit the skids once he was gone, pushing out to drive a wider one off Wahab and edging behind.

By then, Bairstow had edged Yasir just short and past slip for four and, in the same over, was dropped by Sarfraz Ahmed after nicking a cut to the wicketkeeper.

He thought he was gone anyway soon afterwards, walking halfway off when he edged Yasir low again to slip before sloping back on when third-umpire Chris Gaffaney surprisingly reprieved him.

Younus appeared to many eyes to get his fingers under the ball for a smart catch but, unlike in similar circumstances when Anderson held Zulfiqar Babar in last week's first Test, this time a new third official saw things differently.

Shah thing: The spinner appeals for Bairstow's wicket
Gareth Copley/Getty Images

Bairstow quickly lost two more partners, both caught-behind again off Wahab.

Ben Stokes edged carelessly on the back foot and the out-of-form Buttler went for a duck trying to drive when the left-armer changed his angle to round the wicket.

Adil Rashid outdid Stokes, with the worst shot of the session, aiming Yasir against the tide and four balls later the leg-spinner had his third wicket when Bairstow was lbw pushing half-forward.

Wood's dismissal to Yasir was a curiosity, caught at slip after both an on-field referral to the third umpire and then a batsman's review too.

The eventual conclusion was that he had edged a ball which did not bounce on its way to the fielder, the ninth-wicket 'stand' therefore ended on 10 - the highest of a hapless morning once Bairstow and Root were parted.

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