England’s Ben Stokes won the toss and elected to bat first in the deciding Test match against Pakistan in Rawalpindi. The two teams are tied at one Test apiece and are both looking for a series victory. Pakistan named an unchanged side and prepared a pitch suited for their spinners, while England have included a teenage leg-spinner in their XI.
The match started with Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett opening the batting for England. Crawley was dismissed for 29, caught by Saim Ayub off Noman Ali, but Duckett and Ollie Pope held firm, scoring 23 and 3 respectively. Pope, who has had an underwhelming series with the bat, fell lbw to Sajid Khan for the third time.
The pitch in Rawalpindi was reported to be flat, with little bounce. Despite some early turn, the batsmen managed to negotiate the slow and low conditions well. Pakistan lost a review on a Duckett sweep, while Crawley and Duckett’s partnership reached 50 runs.
England ended the first session at 70-2, with Duckett and Pope at the crease. The match promises to be a closely contested one, with both teams looking to secure a series victory. Stay tuned for more updates as the match progresses.
Source
Photo credit www.theguardian.com