Razaullah’s six-hitting debut caps Pakistan’s fightback against England

What the report says

Pakistan staged a late fightback against England on day three of the third Test at Edgbaston, as debutant Razaullah’s aggressive batting helped the tourists avoid an immediate defeat and leave the match set up for the final day. According to Al Jazeera, Pakistan finished the day all out after reaching a second-innings lead of 130, with England needing that many runs to complete a 3-0 series sweep.

Razaullah, a fast bowler making his Test debut, came in when Pakistan were under pressure and scored 81 from 63 balls, hitting nine sixes in a brief but striking innings. He was supported by fellow paceman Mohammad Abbas, who made 42. Their ninth-wicket stand pushed Pakistan from 318 for 8 to 439 for 9 before the innings ended. Earlier, captain Babar Azam scored 76 and Shan Masood made 95 as Pakistan produced a much stronger batting effort than in the first two Tests.

Pakistan had begun the match badly after being bowled out for 133 in their first innings, before England replied with 453. That left the visitors trailing by 320 runs, but their second-innings recovery gave them a chance to compete after a series in which England had already won the first two Tests convincingly. The result also came against the backdrop of major changes within the Pakistan camp after the previous defeat, including team and coaching adjustments reported by Al Jazeera.