Second Rothesay Test, Lord’s (day three of five)
England 290 (Smith 61, Cox 55; Abbas 4-73) & 177-7 (Lawrence 50*; Abbas 3-48)
Pakistan 110 (Awais 46; Robinson 4-11, Archer 3-26)
England lead by 357 runs
Scorecard
Dan Lawrence impressed in devilishly difficult batting conditions to advance England’s push for a series win over Pakistan on a weather-hit third day of the second Test.
Lawrence is one of the players looking to cement a place in the new-look England team and he enhanced his credentials with an unbeaten 50, his second half-century in as many Tests.
Only 24.5 overs were possible at Lord’s on Saturday because of persistent rain. The action did not begin until 14:40 BST then was regularly interrupted until the players left the field for the final time at 17:08.
In farcical scenes, play was eventually abandoned at 18:30 in the best weather of the day to boos from the remaining spectators. There was potential for another hour to be used.
Lawrence lifted England to 177-7 in their second innings, with a lead of 357 looking colossal given the assistance on offer for bowlers and Pakistan’s weak batting.
On the juicy surface, under the leaden sky and floodlights, Pakistan’s trio of seamers made life incredibly hard for England’s batters after they resumed on 81-3.
With the ball darting around in the air and off the seam, the last thing Emilio Gay needed was uneven bounce. Gay got one from Muhammad Abbas that shot along the ground to be lbw for 31, missing another chance to make the opener’s spot indisputably his own.
Harry Brook and Lawrence battled to add 45 for the fifth wicket, a significant achievement given the task they faced. Brook adjusted his game to the situation before he was out for 34, superbly caught up to the stumps by wicketkeeper Muhammad Rizwan.
Lawrence eventually decided attack was the best form of defence, accelerating towards his fifth half-century in Test cricket.
Sunday’s weather forecast is much better and should provide ample opportunity for England to seal victory in this match and their first series win since 2024.