Abbas takes 5-57 as Pakistan set 389 to win at Lord's
Mohammad Abbas reached the Lord's honours board with figures of 5-57, but England's 208 all out left Pakistan chasing a record 389.
· 2 countries
A first honours board entry
Mohammad Abbas took 5-57 in 22 overs as England were bowled out for 208 in their second innings on the fourth morning of the second Test against Pakistan at Lord's in London, Dawn reported.
The 36 year old seamer had come close before, with three four-wicket hauls including 4-73 in England's first innings of 290 in this match. Dawn reports that cricketers who take five wickets in an innings, ten in a match, or score a century at Lord's have the feat recorded on boards in the home and away dressing rooms.
England resumed on 177-7. Dan Lawrence, exactly 50 not out overnight, added four before Abbas bowled him with a seaming delivery, and 186-8 became 187-9 when a 79mph ball darted back into Ollie Robinson and wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan, standing up to the stumps, took the edge. Josh Tongue struck two boundaries off Mohammad Ali before Pakistan captain Babar Azam ran him out with a direct hit from the covers.
The size of the chase
Pakistan need 389 to win, in a three-match series England lead and could seal at 2-0. Dawn notes the highest fourth-innings total to win a Test at Lord's is the West Indies' 344-1 in 1984, built on an unbeaten double century by Gordon Greenidge.
Pakistan were dismissed for 171 and 135 in an innings and 103-run defeat in the first Test at Headingley, and made 110 in their first innings at Lord's without injured opener Imam-ul-Haq, who was unable to bat.
The BBC's live coverage had Pakistan at 53-3 at lunch after slipping to 14-3, with Shan Masood and Saud Shakeel putting on 39. The BBC also reported that batters played false shots to 43% of deliveries, the highest figure in close to 3,300 instances of 20 or more overs in a day's Test play in its database since records began in 2006.
The row over day three
Only 24.5 overs were possible on the Saturday because of rain and bad light, with stumps called just after 6.30pm as the sun came out, prompting booing from spectators. Sky Sports reports that play could have run to 7.30pm had the players returned before 7pm.
Sky Sports pundit Nasser Hussain called the decision "a joke", saying it was the brightest it had been for about eight hours. Lawrence's fifty included a six over extra cover that fellow pundit Dinesh Karthik called "the shot of the series", while Emilio Gay was lbw to Abbas.
The BBC lists Abbas as the seventh Pakistan bowler with a five-wicket haul at the ground, after Yasir Shah in 2016 and Mohammad Amir in 2010. None of these reports mention Abdullah Shafique or state Pakistan's full batting order for the chase, so his involvement is not established by them.
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