England have struggled to deal with the spin of Sajid Khan and Noman Ali
Pakistan wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan playfully teased England batter Harry Brook with the comment, “No more Bazball,” as England found it tough to deal with the spin of Sajid Khan and Noman Ali in the 3rd Test at Rawalpindi.
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Rizwan’s light-hearted comment came as the spinners put England on the back foot with an impressive bowling display on the opening day of the series-deciding third Test in Rawalpindi.
“No More Bazball,” Rizwan teases Harry Brook after he played a defensive shot.
Harry Brook came in to bat at No. 5 after England lost three quick wickets despite a strong start. He struggled to find his rhythm as Pakistan’s spinners applied pressure and restricted the scoring.
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In the deciding 3rd Test, England chose to bat first and began with a solid 50-run opening stand. However, they lost their rhythm soon as Crawley was dismissed for 29 and then Pope and Root got out early. Duckett, who seemed to be in good form right from the start, made a half-century but was sent back within a short time afterwards. Also, Brook and Stokes could not contribute much to England’s cause, leaving them in trouble at 118-6.
Jamie Smith then batted brilliantly against Pakistan’s spinners and put up an important partnership with Atkinson, who made 39. Smith continued to score freely till he got dismissed for 89. Leach added 16 runs at the end.
Stars of the day were Pakistan’s spinners, Sajid Khan and Noman Ali who had already created similar problems during the second Test. Here also in this test, Sajid took 6 wickets and Noman, 3, making it really tough for England all through their innings, eventually bowling them out for 267.
England’s aggressive “Bazball” style, which had earned them praise in recent Tests, ran into trouble as Pakistan’s spinners took control, putting England under pressure in Rawalpindi.