Summary

  • Third Test, day one, Rawalpindi - England win toss & bat

  • Series level at 1-1

  • Pakistan close on 73-3, trailing by 194

  • Bashir, Leach and Atkinson strike in final session

  • England 267: Smith 89, Duckett 52; Sajid 6-128

Live Reporting

by Sam Drury & Matthew Henry

  1. Eng 5-0

    Noman Ali wanders in looking all of his 38 years but there's plenty of skill in those hands. He doesn't find quite as much turn as Sajid Khan.

  2. How's stat?!

    Andy Zaltzman
    Statistician on Test Match Special

    This is the first time that a spinner has opened in any Test in Pakistan. The last time England faced a spinner to open was in 1964.

  3. Eng 4-0

    It's spin from both ends from the off.

    Noman Ali, who took eight in the second innings in Multan last week, starts with one on Zak Crawley's pads.

  4. Alex Hartley
    Former England bowler on BBC Test Match Special

    I love watching England bat. I'm intrigued how they'll play here.

  5. Eng 1-0

    As England's fans finish their morning rendition of Jerusalem, the ball turns to beat Ben Duckett's edge and there are gasps from all of the close fielders.

    There isn't a lot of bounce. Even Ben Duckett is having to bend down to defend.

  6. Get Involved

    #bbccricket, via WhatsApp on 03301231826 or text 81111 (standard network charges apply)

    That could be the series there, on the flip of a coin. 500+ incoming.

    Paul Oliver, North Wales

  7. Eng 1-0

    A sign of things to come?

    Spinner Sajid Khan is bowling the very first ball of the Test - Zaltz is already checking how many times that has happened before - and it rags, beats wicketkeeper Muhammad Rizwan and lets England get away with a bye.

  8. Steven Finn
    Former England fast bowler on BBC Test Match Special

    My prediction is that it will be a really good batting surface for the first day at least.

  9. England celebrateGetty Images

    Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett stride out to the middle behind the umpires in baking sunshine.

    The last time England batted first here they scored 506-4 on day one in one of their greatest wins.

    Same again?

  10. How's stat?!

    Soham Sarkhel
    CricViz analyst

    With a PitchViz rating of just 3.3, Rawalpindi has been the flattest venue worldwide (minimum of three matches played) in the ball-tracking era in Tests.

    With the reported attempts to make this pitch spinner-friendly, how much will Pakistan be able to change the base nature of this pitch?

  11. Jonathan Agnew
    BBC cricket correspondent on Test Match Special

    Pakistan can't complain if they go overseas and other countries do what they like to the pitch. They've set a level.

  12. Well that will warm English hearts on this early morning. How relevant it is on a pitch entirely different to anything Rawalpindi has seen, who knows?

    The talk from the experts seems to be that the pitch will be good for batting for the first few days and won't be as extreme as we saw in Multan.

  13. Soham Sarkhel
    CricViz analyst

    Teams winning the toss in Tests in Rawalpindi since the start of 2019: Played: 7, Won: 5, Drawn: 2, Lost: 0.

  14. Ben StokesGetty Images

    As I've said, the series has moved on to a new city but the conversations have not changed. This continues to be the tour of pitches.

    Rawalpindi is usually the flattest pitch in the world on many metrics so Pakistan have had to get funky in their attempts to create another spinning surface.

    The industrial fans and patio heaters have been out. There are also some harsh scratch marks down the surface, which look like the result of some raking.

    What will it mean? I'm not sure anyone knows.

  15. Pakistan captain Shan Masood: "We'd like to believe we just have to play good cricket, sometimes it goes your way sometimes it doesn't. You have to respond as a team.

    "We always talk about consistency. We like to see consistency but Test cricket is not the easiest cricket in the world.

    "No thoughts on the pitch, I'll wait and see how it plays. Until both teams have batted we can't say.

    "We're excited to be playing a great team like England in home conditions. It's day by day, if we play good on day one we'll take it from there."

  16. England captain Ben Stokes: "We'll have to wait and see what the wicket plays like. It looks like a really good wicket but we'll have to wait and see.

    "This could be a completely different type of wicket and game to the last so we'll just have to adapt as a team.

    "It's great to have Rehan back in the squad."

  17. The teams

    Rehan AhmedGetty Images

    We already know the teams. England have brought in Rehan Ahmed as a third spinner. Gus Atkinson is back as the rotation continues among the spinners.

    Pakistan are unchanged so have all seven of those spinners again.

    England: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes, Jamie Smith, Rehan Ahmed, Gus Atkinson, Jack Leach, Shoaib Bashir.

    Pakistan: Abdullah Shafique, Saim Ayub, Shan Masood, Kamran Ghulam, Saud Shakeel, Muhammad Rizwan, Salman Ali Agha, Aamer Jamal, Noman Ali, Sajid Khan, Zahid Mahmood.

  18. That could be massive.

  19. England win the toss and bat
    Breaking

    Ben Stokes said he'd stick with tails and stays true to his word.

    After seven losses in a row, England have won one!

    And there's no surprise what he's doing. Bazid Khan doesn't even have to ask.

    England bat.

  20. Hello, hello.

    After two weeks in Multan this series has moved onto Rawalpindi. New city? Same debates?

    The pitch talk has not quietened down and that means this next minute or so is big. Here's the toss...