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Thanks Tanya, morning everyone. I guessed right: Rehan Ahmed comes in for his second spell.
They stop for a drink and I’ll hand you over to the master, Rob Smith, to take you to the stumps. Just in case the test doesn’t make it to day five, I wish you all a very merry Christmas, with an especially happy Christmas to my mum and dad, who are waking up this morning in a new house for the first time in 40 years. Thanks for all the messages – bye!
Updated at 08.46 GMT
39th over: Pakistan 157-3 (Babar 47, Shakil 21) Leach bowls a ball, then delivers it to Stokes. I mean, who knows? But he was sent back without consulting the judge. A handful of singles.
38th over: Pakistan 153-3 (Babar 45, Shakil 19) Wood continues to come in, getting to ninety miles per hour. Sweat collects on his forehead and he wipes it on the ball. Shakeel pulls and Rehan fields. We keep going ahead.
37th over: Pakistan 151-3 (Babar 44, Shakil 18) Leach will have a sore shoulder tonight. Over number 17 under his belt, not even halfway through the second session of the first day. Babar casually dismisses a run.
“James Walsh… asks if anyone else has ever wanted to see an all-conquering team on an off day,” writes John Cox.
“Not quite, but my mother, then a teenager living near Lords and in love with Dennis Compton, took advantage of some early free afternoon children’s meal deal to watch the great man seven times during his famous 1948 season .and used to boast that she had never seen him score a run. Five times the opposition batted, once DC came in the last over and spent the night at 0 not out, and finally she was able to see him face a ball, only to witness his only duck of the season.’
36th over: Pakistan 150-3 (Babar 43, Shakeel 18) Cameras focus on Keaton Jennings, who hasn’t played a Test on this tour. Athers tells us he just got an MBA from the University of Manchester. Very impressive and such a nice boy too. Maiden by Mark Wood.
Keaton Jennings will miss his MBA graduation ceremony planned at the University of Manchester due to England’s Test tour of Pakistan. “I’ve contacted my university and they can’t ship the dress to Pakistan so I’ll be watching my graduation online in Karachi.” #PAKvENG
— Arfa Feroz Zake (@ArfaSays_) November 20, 2022
35th over: Pakistan 150-3 (Babar 43, Shakeel 18) Shakeel reaches out on the front foot as if trying to take another flight of stairs in a hurry and sweeps Leach towards the rope.
34th over: Pakistan 144-3 (Babar 42, Shakil 13) Mark Wood for his second spell, this time from the pavilion end. It starts with a couple of full balls, ends with a bouncer that bounces so low that Shaquille is practically crouching as he ducks it.
Ben Elkington writes from under the covers in Leicester: “I have an innocent and possibly sleep-confounding question: given the absence of Test cricket in Pakistan for so long, all the pitches looked relatively empty. Is this due to pricing, home team performance or ambiguity in match testing/red ball cricket? (Apologies if this has been covered before, I wasn’t sure.)
And like ITV’s World Cup coverage, I’m worried I’m lying here thinking, “Yeah, KFC for breakfast is fine in December, isn’t it?”
Hi Ben. I think the pitches filled up well during the day in Rawalpindi and Multan – not sure about Karachi. Our man on the field, Ali Martin, strokes his beard: “I’m not sure what the reason is here, maybe the streaks are lost … a few of them are sensibly hiding in the shadows at the back of the stands.”
33rd over: Pakistan 141-3 (Babar 40, Shakeel 12) A maiden from Leach which includes a beautifully choreographed smashing of the safeties by Ben Fawkes as Shakeel starts the knock. The legs were firmly anchored in the crease, but sweetly done.
“I’m embarrassed to admit that I missed the start of the game,” admits Brian Withington, “and the awarding of a debut hat to Rehan Ahmed by Nasser – just as I’m getting it, and it’s so good to see his dad involved. Nice words from Azhar Ali too. What is this you say? There must be some dust in his eyes…”
32nd over: Pakistan 141-3 (Babar 40, Shakil 12) Babar sticks his front foot forward and sends Robinson past stretched mid-on with a chillingly crisp shot. The next ball bites and with a flick of the glove, Babar lets Shakeel know that a reverse swing is happening.
31st over: Pakistan 136-3 (Babar 36, Shakeel 12) Leach sneaks in, Shakeel hardly bothers. Stokes has a long talk with him as he makes the long walk back to his fielding position on the boundary.
A morning of bleak, freezing Sale @tjaldred. I am so happy that we are seeing Ahmed in his first Test. It doesn’t feel like a free pick, although we are a little short in the bowling. And I never wanted anyone to take a wicket more than him. You hope it’s around for a long time.
— Guy Hornsby (@GuyHornsby) December 17, 2022
So true.
30th over: Pakistan 135-3 (Babar 35, Shakil 11) Stokes plays the fiddle and finishes his field.
“Hello again Tanya.” Robert Lewis Hello! “Not Bazball but I was at the SCG in 1976 in the series mentioned recently in OBO where the Windies were rocked by the pace and decided to go with a 4-man attack. I remember a very angry Michael Holding, then about 20 years old, who was ever so slowly going back to his goal when a decision was against him.’
29th over: Pakistan 134-3 (Babar 35, Shakeel 10) Ooo Babar charges Leach, over the top, not quite all but falls safely beyond the reach of a slowly turning Robinson truck.
The link to PCB’s YouTube page (thanks!):
28th over: Pakistan 130-3 (Babar 32, Shakil 9) It’s raining sugrashit in the dark in Manchester, the sun is shining in Karachi. Shakeel was content to drop Robinson back to spin, pulling his penultimate ball for four. And one more, a full throw disappears, powered by a fanatic.
“Tucked under my covers with a hot water bottle and coffee, but still freezing of course,” wrote Archie Sparrow. “I found this session really enjoyable. A dead end, yes, but we’re still able to make things happen. I remember waking up for the first session of the first test and rubbing my hands together Mr Burns style. It’s only gotten better since then. Has the time finally come when, as England fans, we can admit that we really are quite good at this Test cricket?’
Wash your mouth, Archie!
27th over: Pakistan 122-3 (Babar 32, Shakel 1) Root waits at first slip, Pope (?) at leg miss as Leach’s innings ends after lunch. A shout of “Pakistan Zindabad” enlivens the still rather empty land. There are beautiful canopies over the stands – something English grounds will have to think about with the climate crisis. The lack of shelter at The Riverside caused all sorts of problems during the ODI on the UK’s hottest day last year.
John Starbuck, hello! “I didn’t start, but I followed the progress through the mighty OBO. No kids to worry about, but I had to pet the cat, then go out into the cold in the garage and turn off my car charger. Meanwhile, my wife finished the gingerbread men (with holes to hang them on the Christmas trees) and set about baking mince pies for her family, albeit cut short by Covid, alas. However, we all have responsibilities.”
Afternoon session
26th over: Pakistan 120-3 (Babar 31, Shakil 1) Robinson polished off his over fragmented by the wicket of Azhar at lunchtime.
“The last time I sent an email,” writes Daniel Ironside, “it was followed by a leaky plumbing disaster. Now the elves are being blamed for it. England subsequently won that incredible Test match, so I just hope that because of superstition there’s no need for the whole thing to happen again.” What Are Bazball Altar Pipes?
Updated at 07.45 GMT
Two cups of coffee, all is well. The dog is in full belly, the paper boy is in a circle, Ian Ward is in full lizard, leg resting on knee, on the Sky sofa.
That’s wonderful. All of the England team pat Ahmed on the back as they leave for lunch. Indicative of this Stokes team.
— Elizabeth Ammon (@legsidelizzy) December 17, 2022
James Walsh is back and this time I got his name right (sorry), “I’ve only seen one Test in person since the nascent era of Bazball – and that’s the only one they’ve lost so far, Lord’s v. South Africa in summer.
“There was a surreal lack of danger, although most of the stand where I sat were more interested in the champagne corks hitting the field than the cricket.
“Anyone else run an otherwise all-conquering team on one of their rare days off?”
Jimmy Anderson talks to Nasser. “A decent session, we played brilliantly, the short ball tactic worked well. This surface has two steps, so it’s hard for the batter to know whether to take it or not. Woody also bowls a cross-seam, which should set him up for reverse swing later on.”
One of England’s best cap performances as Nasser Hussain does the honours, but the first person to greet Rehan Ahmed with a big hug is his father, who was invited for the magical moment. Class.
— Dean Wilson (@CricketMirror) December 17, 2022
I have news Sam Fox! Not TMS but the guerrilla cricket link.
@tjaldred Greetings from Connecticut (not the shores of the Red Sea). For your 6th over correspondent you can follow audio commentary on @guerillacricket. Jingles, interaction, knowledge, occasional spicy language (ie *not TMS) and fun. On TuneIn, YouTube, and more
— markzip @Markzip@twit.social (@markzip) December 17, 2022
Lunch – Pakistan 117-3
25.2 overs: Pakistan 117-3 (Babar 30) A timely wicket for England, in the last over before lunch. Robinson does the job again and Azhar fails to reach fifty in his penultimate Test innings. It was intriguing to watch young Rehan Ahmed go through his tricks. A break, a sandwich, a seat and he can…
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