Dan Lawrence dismisses Razaullah (81 off 63 balls) with what proves to be the last ball of day three; Pakistan all out for 449 after battling second innings; England set 130 to win on day four – By David Currie at Edgbaston Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player England were denied a series sweep of Pakistan inside three days of the final Test at Edgbaston after a remarkable display of six-hitting from 21-year-old Razaullah late on Friday. Pakistan enjoyed easily their finest day of what’s otherwise been a dismal series but were still trailing by two when their eighth wicket fell early into the evening session, only for Razaullah to smash 81 off just 63 deliveries, clearing the ropes a staggering nine times to equal Tim Southee’s record for a debutant. He shared in a 121-run partnership with Mohammad Abbas (42), who himself hit two sixes before picking out point off Josh Tongue in the closing overs, while Razaullah’s fun was finally ended – and the day’s play – as he was stumped off Dan Lawrence (2-17). England, guilty of losing the plot in the final session, will now look to chase down 130 on day four, a far stiffer target than initially looked likely, albeit one they should still reel in to clinch a first ever home series whitewash of Pakistan.
The tourists might be cursing not testing England further, with Shan Masood (95) and Babar Azam (76) both spurning golden opportunities to score the first century of the series – which Razaullah, remarkably, now has the chance to notch. While Masood can count himself a touch unfortunate, out to a screamer of a catch by Lawrence – one-handed, diving low to his right in the slips – Babar’s dismissal was much more of a head-scratcher, the captain walking straight into an obvious short-ball trap set by England on the stroke of tea. That wicket had seemed to signal the end of the Pakistan resistance, with four wickets falling for 40 runs before Razaullah very much had other plans and pushed things into a fourth day with some almighty swings of the bat. Watch day four of the third Test between England and Pakistan at Edgbaston, live on Sky Sports Cricket from 10.15am on Saturday.
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