Razaullah 81 With Nine Sixes Leaves England 130 To Win At Edgbaston

Razaullah made 81 from 63 balls at Edgbaston on Friday, nine of them sixes, and Pakistan's 449 all out left England needing 130 to win the third Test. The chase starts on day four. Pakistan had been bowled out for 133 in the first innings and trailed by 320 when the second began. They batted for 96.4 overs to turn a two-day rout into a fourth morning.

Shan Masood made 95 and Azan Awais 59. Babar Azam added 76 from 103 balls with 11 fours. England still lead the series 2-0 and a win on Saturday completes a 3-0 sweep.

The stand that changed the day

Razaullah walked in with Pakistan still short of anything England would have to chase. Mohammad Abbas joined him. They added 121. Abbas made 42 from 67 balls with five fours and two sixes, a career best. Razaullah was stumped off Dan Lawrence. BBC Sport recorded the partnership as an eighth-wicket stand and NewsBytes as a ninth-wicket stand.

Razaullah's sixes in the record books

Nine sixes on Test debut equals the mark held by Tim Southee, according to Sky Sports. BBC Sport reported that the ninth also tied Ben Stokes' record for the most sixes in a Test innings played in England. Razaullah is 21. He had already taken 4 for 148 in England's first innings.

"I was just trying to provide support for the other batters and trying to take it as deep as possible," he said.

Sky Sports analyst Urooj Mumtaz put it more plainly. "That was simply sensational. A perfectly written first chapter of his Test career," she said.

England's bowlers on a flattening pitch

England used six bowlers. Three of them conceded more than a hundred runs.

• Gus Atkinson 3 for 109 from 24 overs
• Ollie Robinson 2 for 54 from 23 overs
• Josh Tongue 2 for 106 from 22 overs
• Dan Lawrence 2 for 17 from 4.4 overs
• Jofra Archer 1 for 120 from 22 overs
• Harry Brook 0 for 4 from 1 over

Lawrence bowled 4.4 overs and took two, Azan Awais and Razaullah. Archer went at better than five an over. The surface had already given England 453 at better than five an over on day two, when Harry Brook made 75, Jamie Smith 69, Lawrence 65, Emilio Gay 60 and Robinson 50. Pakistan's first innings on the same pitch lasted 33.5 overs.

That first innings went to the same attack. Josh Tongue took 4 for 42, Ollie Robinson 3 for 15 and Jofra Archer 3 for 25. Saud Shakeel made 43 of the 133.

Day four and the series

England need 130 with two days left. Pakistan's attack shared England's ten first-innings wickets, Razaullah taking four and Mohammad Ali and Mohammad Imran two each. Geo reported before the third day that Pakistan were facing a 16th defeat in 21 Tests. That is still live. A two-day finish is not.