Dan Lawrence‘s unbeaten fifty on Saturday left Pakistan needing to rewrite the record books in their quest for a series-levelling win against England in the second Test at Lord’s.
Only 24.5 overs were possible on a third day cut short by several rain delays and finally finished off by bad light despite the floodlights shining under increasingly sunny skies.
But England still reached stumps on 177-7 in their second innings — a huge overall lead of 357 runs — with Lawrence 50 not out.
That could well be more than enough of an advantage already given Pakistan were dismissed for 171 and 135 in an innings and 103-run thrashing by England in last week’s first of a three-Test series at Headingley.
Pakistan then collapsed to a woeful 110 all out in their first innings at Lord’s, with England seamer Ollie Robinson taking a remarkable 4-11 in 13 overs.
And they have also never scored more than 234 in the fourth innings of any Test against England in England.
Pakistan will have to set a new record if they are to achieve an improbable victory, with the highest fourth-innings total to win a Test at Lord’s still West Indies’s 344-1.
Mohammad Abbas was again in the wickets for Pakistan on Saturday, with 3-48 following the veteran seamer’s four-wicket haul in England’s first-innings 290.
First session washed out
England, after Saturday’s morning session was washed out completely, resumed on 81-3 in gloomy conditions and on a still green-tinged pitch that also promised to aid Pakistan’s pacemen.
Under-pressure opener Emilio Gay was 30 not out after a dogged 69-ball effort Friday, when he walked out to bat, averaging just 22.50 from his first eight Test innings.
But the left-hander had added just one run when he was plumb lbw to an Abbas delivery that hardly bounced before hitting him on the back leg.
Abbas might have had another wicket when a charging Lawrence edged a booming drive over the slips.
Harry Brook, seven not out overnight, jumped down the pitch and whipped medium-pacer Khurram Shahzad through wide mid-on for four.
Brook went down on one knee before edging a flamboyant drive off Shahzad that flew in the air through gully for another boundary.
But Brook fell for 34 to leave him still searching for his first Test century in over a year when well caught by wicket-keeper Mohammad Rizwan, standing up to the stumps, from an Abbas delivery that nipped off the pitch and bounced to graze the shoulder of the bat.
An undaunted Lawrence then carved Mohammad Ali for four and next ball drilled him high over cover for six.
Lawrence also slog-swept spinner Ali Usman for six on his way to a 64-ball fifty.
