Key events
Drinks Time for me to hand over to the great Tim de Lisle – bye!
WICKET! Pakistan 111-8 (Khurram c Cox b Robinson 8)
Rizwan exposes Khurram again, this time after only one ball of Robinson’s over. I just don’t know what’s going off out there. Khurram edges the next delivery straight to third slip to give Robinson his eighth wicket of the match.
31st over: Pakistan 110-7 (Rizwan 22, Khurram 8) A loose delivery from Tongue is pinged through square leg for four by Rizwan, who then takes a single to leave Khurram with three deliveries to survive. Not sure about that tactic. Khurram is dropped, technically, when Cox gets a fingertip on a desperately difficult chance at third slip. Another edge flies through the slips for four more.
“It seems to me that amongst all the hyper-criticism of the BazBall era, one fairly big factor in its decline was overlooked,” writes Phil Harrison. “England lost Broad, Anderson and Woakes in the space of two years. That’s a huge thing and it’s no wonder it’s caused them to struggle – remember how Australia went back into the pack when Warne and McGrath retired in quick succession. Could it be that we’re only just now starting to plug those gaps?”
30th over: Pakistan 95-7 (Rizwan 15, Khurram 0) That was a nice catch from Cox, who reacted quicker than anyone when the ball looped up off Smith’s thigh. In a related development, Tongue and Robinson have taken 15 of the 17 wickets to fall.
WICKET! Pakistan 95-7 (Usman c Cox b Robinson 7)
Ollie Robinson strikes with the first ball of a new spell. Ali Usman snicked him onto the thigh of Smith, standing up to the stumps, and Jordan Cox ran in from third slip to snaffle the rebound.
29th over: Pakistan 95-6 (Rizwan 15, Usman 7) Tongue has a big LBW appeal against Usman turned down. England lose a review on an appeal that didn’t look quite right; Usman was outside the line of off stump.
28th over: Pakistan 93-6 (Rizwan 14, Usman 6) A terrific bumper from Archer hits Usman on the shoulder. Usman responds nicely with a square drive for four later in the over.
27th over: Pakistan 88-6 (Rizwan 13, Usman 2) Rizwan is good enough to push Tongue down the ground for four. He’s beaten for pace next ball and deflects it past the stumps for a single. Tongue is bowling ferociously. It’s not as primal as some fast-bowling spells because he’s attacking the stumps rather than the head, but it’s still quite thrilling to watch.
26th over: Pakistan 83-6 (Rizwan 8, Usman 2) Exemplary channel bowling from Archer, who beats Ali Usman four times in a row. He appealed for caught behind after the third; it brushed the hip rather than the outside edge.
25th over: Pakistan 83-6 (Rizwan 8, Usman 2) Never mind Test matches, Tongue hasn’t taken a ten-for in first-class cricket. His best figures are 9 for 98, it says here.
Pakistan have a long tail so there’s a luscious whiff of rabbit pie wafting round Headingley. It’s not fair to include Ali Usman in that – he has a first-class hundred – and he faces four deliveries of that Tongue over without alarm.
It’s the senior batter, Rizwan, who almost falls when an inside-edge deflects past the stumps.
24th over: Pakistan 80-6 (Rizwan 7, Usman 0) You know somebody is bowling well when Jofra Archer’s overs at the other end feel like filler. Muhammad Rizwan hits a boundary, that’s about it.
Josh Tongue has taken a wicket every 8.2 balls in this game. No bowler in Test history has taken eight or more wickets in a match with a better strike-rate. Not even George Lohmann.
23rd over: Pakistan 76-6 (Rizwan 3, Usman 0) Tongue’s match figures are Frank Tyson on steroids stuff: 11.1-0-53-8.
11.1-0-53-8 FFS.
Tongue’s previous best was 8 for 182 at the Oval last year, so it’s a landmark day for him. But what he really wants is a first Test ten-for.
It’s out! Salman Ali Agha was late on another rapid delivery that cut back to hit him on the knee roll. He was given out LBW on the field, reviewed in the hope it was going over the top. Almost, but not quite: it would have trimmed the bails and Tongue has his third wicket of the innings. Already.
WICKET! Pakistan 76-6 (Salman LBW b Tongue 4)
DRS permitting, Josh Tongue has taken three wickets in five balls!
WICKET! Pakistan 73-5 (Masood c b Tongue 29)
This guy is a wicket-taking animal. Masood pushes at a snarling delivery from round the wicket that straightens to take the edge and is safely grabbed by Ben Duckett at first slip.
Rob Key has worn many a custard pie of late, so let’s give him some flowers for picking Josh Tongue when Tongue was a Division Two bowler with a dismal average. What a bowler!
22nd over: Pakistan 73-4 (Masood 29, Salman 4) A loose ball from Archer is turned fine for four by Salman Ali Agha.
21st over: Pakistan 68-4 (Masood 28, Salman 0) There is precedent for deliberately bowling outside leg stump, particularly to left-handers – the Aussies had a fair bit of success against David Gower with that tactic – and England celebrated like a team who had pulled a rabbit out of the hat. Either that or they couldn’t believe their luck.
WICKET! Pakistan 68-4 (Saud c Lawrence b Tongue 14)
Josh Tongue strikes in his first over. He couldn’t bowl a wicketless spell if he tried. Saud Shakeel, who played a gorgeous straight drive for four earlier in the over, flicked a leg-stump delivery straight to Dan Lawrence at a kind of wide short fine leg.
Was Tongue bowling for that? The delivery was well outside leg stump, and Lawrence was in an unusual position for exactly that shot. Who knows.
20th over: Pakistan 64-3 (Masood 28, Saud 10) Saud Shakeel starts the afternoon with a leisurely on-drive for four from Archer’s second ball. If you’ve got it, flaunt it.
We’re back! And Jofra Archer has the ball in hand.
Lunch: Pakistan trail by 179 runs
19th over: Pakistan 59-3 (Masood 28, Saud 5) Atkinson and Masood give each other nothing in the final over of the morning session. The result is another maiden, Atkinson’s fourth in six overs.
That was a pretty good morning for England, who extended their lead to 238 before taking three early wickets. Pakistan have a helluva lot to do if they are to make a game of this.
18th over: Pakistan 59-3 (Masood 28, Saud 5) Dan Lawrence gets a single over before lunch, the first by an England spinner in this match. He’s an occasional spinner, with a first-class average of 47, but he does turn the ball and he starts here with a decent maiden to Shakeel.
“For some lunchbreak reading,” begins Krishnamoorthy V, “may I offer this?”
Indeed you may, and thanks for sending it in. Batting techniques are a hot topic, and it feels like a very good time to be interrogative seam bowler.
17th over: Pakistan 59-3 (Masood 28, Saud 5) Masood is beaten by successive deliveries from Atkinson. The first was a jaffa, the second a loose shot that was probably caused by the first. Atkinson does Masood on the inside with the final ball of the over.
Another maiden from Atkinson, who has quietly bowled a fine spell of 5-3-6-0.
16th over: Pakistan 59-3 (Masood 28, Saud 5) A soupçon of width from Robinson is enough for Shakeel to back cut his first boundary. Nicely played.
Pakistan trail by 179.
15th over: Pakistan 53-3 (Masood 28, Saud 1) A maiden from Atkinson to Masood. Just under 15 minutes to play before lunch.
14th over: Pakistan 53-3 (Masood 28, Saud 1) Saud Shakeel tries to pull his first ball and almost drags it onto the stumps.
Robinson took Test-best match figures of 7 for 77 on his comeback earlier in the summer. He could improve upon them here: his current match figures are 6 for 71.
WICKET! Pakistan 51-3 (Shafique c Brook b Robinson 15)
Ollie Robinson strikes! Shafique pushes defensively at a terrific delivery, bowled from wider of the crease, that straightens sharply to take the edge. Harry Brook does the rest at second slip. The line and length were so good.
13th over: Pakistan 51-2 (Masood 27, Shafique 15) Shafique drives Atkinson pleasantly through the covers for a couple, with three singles following later in the over.
In other news, Ben Stokes made a rapid 53 for Durham in the County Championship and Olly Stone has nailed Ollie Pope for nought. Tanya Aldred has all the details.
12th over: Pakistan 46-2 (Masood 26, Shafique 11) Jofra Archer is replaced by Ollie Robinson rather than Josh Tongue. It’s an unusually poor over from Robinson, with T-W-O loose deliveries that are both cut for four by Masood.
Though Pakistan are still in all sorts, this pair have found a nice balance between attack and defence.
11th over: Pakistan 38-2 (Masood 18, Shafique 11) England go up for LBW when A big nipbacker hits Shafique between the legs. It was too high, going down as well, and the discussion about a potential review is a brief one.
Atkinson is getting a bit of movement in the air and off the seam. An excellent, challenging maiden gives Shafique no scope to counter-attack.
I’m not saying he’s the second coming of Pat Cummins, but the best version of Atkinson – the one that bowled that over – is seriously good.
10th over: Pakistan 38-2 (Masood 18, Shafique 11) Archer tempts Masood with a wide, very full outswinger. Masood can’t resist a flashing drive and is beaten.
That’ll probably be it for this Archer spell: 5-0-27-2. No need to work him too hard when you have the bovver boy, Josh Tongue, waiting to come on.
I forgot to say that lunch is at 1.15pm today, with tea at 4.10pm.
Drinks: Pakistan trail by 202 runs
9th over: Pakistan 36-2 (Masood 17, Shafique 10) Gus Atkinson comes on for Ollie Robinson, who bowled a pretty good opening spell of 4-1-10-0. His loosener (sic) is an absolute beauty that beats a wide-eyed Masood; the rest of the over passes without incident.
Who needs a drink?
8th over: Pakistan 35-2 (Masood 16, Shafique 10) Shafique slaps Archer up and over the slip cordon for four. He counter-attacked splendidly from No4 in the first innings and is trying to do the same here. Archer almost kiboshes that with an outrageous wobble-seam delivery that snaps past the outside edge.
The next ball beats the bat as well. Archer has bowled some jaffas (and one or two freebies) in a spell of 4-0-25-2.