Twitter Reactions: England fail to read Sajid Khan as Pakistan spin their web on Day 1

Pakistan and England exchanged blows on Day 1 of the third Test at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium in Rawalpindi on October 24. England won the toss and opted to bat first. The quick scoring by Zak Crawley (29 off 43) and Ben Duckett (52 off 84) was short-lived as the former was picked up by spinner Noman Ali. Noman’s partner in crime, Sajid Khan joined the fray and sent Ollie Pope (3 off 14) packing.

Sajid struck once again and caught hold of the big fish, Joe Root (5 off 6) as Noman uprooted Duckett. England were in dire need of a partnership and the same was denied by the spin duo, making use of the Rawalpindi deck to its fullest. Harry Brook and Ben Stokes walked back scoring five and 12 runs respectively and England were reeling on 118 for 6.

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The respite came in the form of Jamie Smith and Gus Atkinson’s 105-run stand for the seventh wicket. Atkinson played a useful knock of 39 off 71 balls while Smith departed scoring crucial 89 runs. Jack Leach contributed 16 runs down the order and England were bowled out on 267 runs. For Pakistan, Sajid dazzled with a six-fer and Noman pitched in with three wickets while Zahid Mahmood picked one. 

Pakistan lose three quick wickets in a fightback for lost glory

Pakistan commenced their batting but lost wickets in quick succession just after Abdullah Shafique was dismissed on 14. Saim Ayub followed suit scoring 19 runs as their last match hero, Kamran Ghulam scored just three runs. At Stumps on Day 1, Pakistan are 73 for 3 with Shan Masood and Saud Shakeel unbeaten on 16 runs each. For England, Jack Leach, Shoaib Bashir, and Gus Atkinson picked one wicket each.

Here's how 'X' users reacted to Day 1 of third Test: