LONDON, July 17: Pakistan�s Rahat Ali removed England�s top three batsmen as the first Test at Lord�s hurtled towards an exciting climax on Sunday�s fourth day.
At lunch, England were 90 for three in their second innings, needing a further 193 runs to reach their victory target of 283.
James Vince was a Test-best 41 not out and the recalled Gary Ballance 15 not out after Rahat had taken three wickets for 36 runs in eight overs.
England captain Alastair Cook launched the chase with a four off the very first ball of the innings when he cut a loose Mohammad Amir delivery to the boundary.
All the pre-match focus had been on Amir, making his return to Test cricket after six years out at the scene of his 2010 spot-fixing crime.
But it was fellow left-arm quick Rahat who stunned England.
His back-off-a-length ball had left-hander Cook (eight) edging through to wicket-keeper Sarfraz Ahmed.
Cook�s opening partner Alex Hales made a brisk 16 before carelessly chasing a wide ball from Rahat outside off stump, with Mohammad Hafeez holding a good catch at first slip.
Rahat had taken two for eight in 13 balls and England were 32 for two.
Joe Root, England�s new number three, got off the mark with a back-foot cover drive for four off Rahat and also drove him through the same region, off the front foot, for another boundary.
But with a man set back for the shot, the star batsman fell into a hooking trap when he paddled a short ball from Rahat to Yasir Shah at deep square leg.
Root was out for nine and England were 47 for three.
Vince too got off the mark with a cover-driven four off Rahat.
SCORECARD
Pakistan 1st Innings: 339
England 1st Innings: 272
Pakistan 2nd Innings (overnight: 214-8): Mohammad Hafeez c Root b Broad 0, Shan Masood c Cook b Woakes 24, Azhar Ali lbw b Woakes 23, Younis Khan b Ali 25, Misbah-ul-Haq c Hales b Ali 0, Asad Shafiq b Woakes 49, Sarfraz Ahmed c Bairstow b Woakes 45, Yasir Shah c Bairstow b Broad 30, Wahab Riaz c Bairstow b Woakes 0, Mohamad Amir c Bairstow b Broad 1, Rahat Ali not out 0. Extras: (B-6, LB-11, NB-1) 18. Total: (all out in 79.1 overs) 215. Fall of wickets: 1-2, 2-44, 3-59, 4-60, 5-129, 6-168, 7-208, 8-214, 9-214, 10-215. Bowling: Broad 19.1-7-38-3; Ball 16-7-37-0; Finn 13-4-42-0; Woakes 18-6-32-5; Ali 13-3-49-2.
England 2nd Innings: A Cook c Sarfraz Ahmed b Rahat Ali 8, A Hales c Hafeex b Rahat Ali 16, J Root c Yasir Shah b Rahat Ali 9, J Vince not out 41, G Ballance not out 15. Extras: (LB-1) 1. Total: (for 3 wkts in 22 overs) 90. Fall of wickets: 1-19, 2-32, 3-47. Bowling: Amir 6-1-17-0; Rahat 8-0-36-3; Shah 5-2-19-0; Riaz 3-0-17-0. � AFP
