England fight to turn Test on its head

England have fought their way back into the third Test with solid displays with both bat and ball on day three at Edgbaston, as Pakistan squandered the momentum they’ve held for the majority of this match.

Resuming at 3-257, Misbah-ul-Haq (56) and Sarfraz Ahmed (46 not out) helped the tourists to a total of 400 and a 103-run first-innings lead at tea.

But their advantage was quickly surrendered as England openers Alastair Cook (64no) and Alex Hales (50no) rattled along to 0-120 in the final session, with the hosts now holding a 17-run lead.

It leaves the Test, and the series currently level at 1-1, intriguingly poised going into day four.

But the major talking of the day came in the second session, when England quick Jimmy Anderson was barred from the bowling attack.

Quick Single: Anderson falls foul of umpires again

Anderson, who apologised for his “petulant” behaviour towards the umpires on day two after receiving two warnings for running on the pitch, was devastated when was given his third and final warning for the same offence.

The 34-year-old was one ball into his 30^th over when umpire Joel Wilson delivered the bad news to skipper Cook, who was forced to bring Steven Finn on to complete the over.

England wrapped up Pakistan’s innings later in the session, with Sarfraz Ahmed running out of partners and finishing four short of a half-century while Stuart Broad and Chris Woakes finished with three wickets apiece.

On a sunny Birmingham day, Pakistan began the day with seven wickets in hand and 40 runs behind England’s first-innings total of 297.

Anderson greeted Misbah with a sharp bouncer in the first over of the morning and it was Woakes, not Anderson’s usual partner in crime Broad, who Cook chose to start with from the other end with the second new ball still shiny.

The move paid dividends when Woakes claimed the wicket of Younis Khan for 31, though the hosts did have a slice of luck as the Pakistan veteran was caught down the legside for the second time in this series.

Broad replaced Woakes and claimed his first scalp when he breached Asad Shafiq’s defence with an excellent nip-backer, clean-bowling the Pakistan No.6 for a 17-ball duck.

Anderson, who conceded just 54 runs from his 29.1 overs, bowled another tight spell this morning and operated from slightly wider of the crease in the first session in an effort to avoid following through in the protected area in the middle of the pitch.

With the pitch offering some variable bounce, Joe Root donned his helmet and was employed in the unusual position of short third-slip for a few overs to Finn, a tactic that has been used in county cricket as well by the Victoria Bushrangers in last summer’s Sheffield Shield.

Moeen Ali was introduced as lunch neared and Misbah continued the aggressive approach Pakistan have adopted to the off-spinner so far this series, reverse-sweeping him for a boundary before Sarfraz twice swept him for four in the last over before lunch.

Misbah calmly glided to a half-century early in the second session to continue his excellent series but Anderson ended his stay at the crease when the Pakistan captain chopped on for 56.

The wicket brought a previously subdued Edgbaston crowd to life. They sung Anderson’s name and the seamer responded with an action-packed period of the match, not all of which pleased the Birmingham fans.

The 34-year-old was denied his third wicket when Yasir successfully reviewed an lbw decision after being given out, but the leg-spinner was run out two balls later scampering back for a second run.

The removal of Anderson from the attack prompted boos from the crowd, but England finished off the job without their all-time Test leading wicket-taker.

Mohammad Amir was trapped lbw by Woakes before Broad claimed the wickets of Sohail Khan and Rahat Ali.

With the momentum in their side, Cook and Hales were almost entirely troubled by the Pakistan bowlers in the final session of the day, registering their highest Test partnership and taking advantage of some poor bowling from the tourists.

Hales, whose previous highest score this series was 24, grew in confidence - his lofted drive for four off Pakistan’s key man Yasir was a prime an example - and he brought up his half-century on the final ball of the day.

The wrist-spinner had a good shout for lbw against Hales given not out as the day wound down, which Pakistan reviewed but ball-tracker showed it to be pitching outside the right-hander’s leg-stump.

That was as close as Pakistan came to making a breakthrough and their attack will have their work cut out for them tomorrow on an Edgbaston track that holds few demons.