PAK vs ENG: Sajid, Noman lead Pakistan’s charge after Saud’s century puts England under pressure

Pakistan’s bowlers, led by Sajid Khan and Noman Ali, struck back on the second day of the third Test, taking three wickets to put England under pressure after a solid batting display anchored by Saud Shakeel’s commanding century.

Saud Shakeel scored a brilliant 134 off 223 balls, leading Pakistan to a total of 344 and a crucial 77-run lead. Sajid Khan remained unbeaten with an aggressive 48 from 48 balls, including two fours and four sixes. His ninth-wicket stand of 72 runs with Saud steadied Pakistan's innings before Rehan Ahmed ended the innings by bowling Zahid Mahmood with the first ball of the day.

For England, leg-spinner Rehan Ahmed led the attack, taking four wickets, while Shoaib Bashir claimed three. Gus Atkinson took two, and Jack Leach grabbed one.

England, who opted to bat first on the challenging Rawalpindi pitch, were bowled out for 267. Sajid Khan led the way for Pakistan with a six-wicket haul, with Noman Ali picking up three and Zahid Mahmood one. England’s top order struggled, with only Ben Duckett (52) showing resilience before Sajid and Noman combined to dismantle the middle order. Jamie Smith’s 89 and Gus Atkinson’s 39 then gave England a fighting chance, but they couldn’t prevent Pakistan from taking the lead.

Starting their innings at 187-7, Pakistan's Saud Shakeel and Noman Ali stitched together an 88-run partnership for the eighth wicket. Noman, who contributed a valuable 45, was dismissed by Shoaib Bashir at the stroke of Tea. After Tea, Sajid Khan joined Saud, and the pair leveled the score, setting up Pakistan's lead.

Earlier, Pakistan’s openers struggled as Abdullah Shafique (14) and Saim Ayub (19) fell cheaply. Kamran Ghulam was dismissed for just three, leaving Pakistan at 43/3. Saud Shakeel, alongside Shan Masood, managed to stabilize the innings, adding 52 runs before Masood was dismissed.

England’s captain Ben Stokes’ tactical switch to bring in Rehan Ahmed after Lunch paid off handsomely, as the spinner removed Rizwan, Salman Ali Agha, and Aamir Jamal in quick succession.

Pakistan's Playing XI:  Saim Ayub, Abdullah Shafique, Shan Masood (C), Kamran Ghulam, Saud Shakeel (VC), Mohammad Rizwan (WK), Salman Ali Agha, Aamir Jamal, Noman Ali, Sajid Khan, Zahid Mehmood.

England Playing XI: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (capt), Jamie Smith (wk), Gus Atkinson, Rehan Ahmed, Jack Leach, Shoaib Bashir.