Pakistan wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan playfully teased England batsman Harry Brook with the comment, “No more Bazball,” as England found it difficult to deal with the spin of Sajid Khan and Noman Ali in the third Test in Rawalpindi.
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Rizwan’s light-hearted comment came as the spinners put England on the back foot with an impressive bowling display on the opening day of the series-deciding third Test in Rawalpindi.
“No more Bazball,” Rizwan taunts Harry Brook after taking a defensive shot.
Harry Brook came in to bat at No. 5 after England lost three quick wickets despite a good start. He struggled to find his rhythm as Pakistan’s spinners applied pressure and restricted the score.
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Sajid Khan takes 6 wickets as England are out for 267
In the decisive third Test, England decided to bat first and started with a strong opening stand of 50 runs. However, they lost their rhythm soon when Crawley was dismissed for 29 and then Pope and Root got out early. Duckett, who looked to be in good form from the start, made a half-century but was dismissed shortly afterwards. Furthermore, Brook and Stokes could not contribute much to England’s cause, leaving them in trouble at 118-6.
Jamie Smith then batted brilliantly against the Pakistan spinners and formed an important partnership with Atkinson who scored 39. Smith continued to score freely until he was dismissed for 89. Leach added 16 runs in the end.
The stars of the day were Pakistan spinners Sajid Khan and Noman Ali, who had already created similar problems during the second Test. Here too, in this Test, Sajid took 6 wickets and Noman 3, making it really difficult for England throughout their innings, eventually bowling them out for 267.
England’s aggressive ‘Bazball’ style, which had earned them praise in recent Tests, ran into trouble as Pakistan’s spinners took control, putting England under pressure in Rawalpindi.