Vic Marks
Former England spinner on BBC Test Match Special

Any wicket will be important at this stage.

Jonathan Agnew
BBC cricket correspondent on Test Match Special

Masood went for the reverse sweep and got himself out! A fortuitous wicket for England.

Mark Wood is persisting with the short stuff - we have seen this before from England as they look to scuff the ball up early.

Abdullah Shafique is not afraid to take on the short ball though as he pulls magnificently away for four to bring up the Pakistan 50 and move them into the lead.

We now effectively have a one innings match. Perfectly poised.

Simon Mann
BBC Test Match Special commentator

There'll be spin but there'll also be a chance for the teams to score on this pitch.

Change of bowling - Jack Leach is into the attack, though there is a brief delay as a group of supporters arrive en masse behind the bowler's arm.

When play does resume Leach extracts a hint of turn, but a short delivery to end the over is rightly punished and pushed off the back foot by Abdullah Shafique for four.

Simon Mann
BBC Test Match Special commentator

You come to cricket thinking you've seen everything and then every day you see something new.

Vic Marks
Former England spinner on BBC Test Match Special

What a dismissal that would've been. Stokes was very close to it.

Ooh, very nearly a freakish wicket for England.

Abdullah Shafique pulls the ball straight to a ducking Ollie Pope at short leg, it cannons off Pope's back and loops towards Ben Stokes, but the ball lands just short of the England captain.

That would have been extraordinary.

Pak 41-0published at 12 overs

12 overs

Pakistan trail by nine

There are two slips in as well, not that Shan Masood is bothered. He has skipped down the track again and launched Joe Root back over his head for a huge six!

This is exactly the start Pakistan wanted.

Vic Marks
Former England spinner on BBC Test Match Special

Root has a gully in and that suggests the ball is turning.

Abdullah Shafique gets his first run of the day with a clip off the pads to fine leg. Shan Masood then plays a measured pull shot into the on-side for another single - Pakistan only 15 runs behind now.

There is not much of a crowd in yet, apart from the Barmy Army in one corner of the stadium.

It has tended to fill up more as the day progresses during this series so hopefully the same will happen here.

Shan Masood is in the mood! He has danced down the track and clubbed Joe Root over extra cover for the third four of the over.

Has that set the tone for the morning? If so we are in for some fun.

We will see some seam at the other end for the first time this innings. Here is Mark Wood.

That was an eventful start.

Joe Root gets some turn out of the rough with the first ball of the day and lures Shan Masood into a false shot - but the ball flies just wide of first slip and away for a rather fortuitous four.

The next delivery is far too short and Shan clubs it away for another four. Nothing fortuitous about that.

Alex Hartley
Former England bowler on BBC Test Match Special

What England will be looking to do is get the ball as old as possible, get the ball reversing and get this game done as soon as possible.

Here come the players out into the middle. Abdullah Shafique is on 14 and Shan Masood three.

England went with spin last night and that is set to continue this morning - Joe Root will open the session.

Speaking of Harry Brook, the 23-year-old has backed Jonny Bairstow to come straight back into the side when he recovers from injury.

Bairstow's six hundreds is the most in Test cricket this year, despite him missing England's last four matches after breaking his leg following an accidental fall while playing golf in September.

"Jonny is one of the best players, if not the best, in the world," said Brook, who replaced Bairstow in the side.

Read more from Harry Brook here.

Image source, Getty Images

England will probably feel they are just ahead in the match, largely thanks to another magnificent century from Harry Brook.

The Yorkshireman hit 111, his third century of the series, to edge England up to 354 and a valuable first innings lead of 50.

However, Pakistan then safely negotiated a tricky nine overs at the end of the day to reach 21-0 and trail by 29.

If they can quickly eliminate that deficit this morning they will be confident of building a decent lead, knowing the pitch may prove tricky to bat on for England in the fourth innings.

Image source, Getty Images

The World Cup final was good, wasn't it? One for the ages.

If you are after some more sporting drama then you are in the right place as we are set for a fascinating day three.