Pakistan staged a remarkable fightback against England on the third day of the Test at Edgbaston, turning the contest on its head after being in a difficult position at the start of play. Shan Masood led the resistance with a gritty 95, while Babar Azam ended his run of low scores with a fluent 76 as Pakistan recovered from 52/2.

The visitors appeared to be heading towards another difficult innings when they slipped to eight wickets down, but debutant Razaullah produced a spectacular counterattack in the final session. His 81 off 63 balls, combined with Mohammad Abbas’ 42, helped Pakistan reach 449 and wipe out England’s first-innings lead, leaving the hosts with 130 to chase on Day 4.

Shan Masood and Azan Awais lead Pakistan’s fightback

Pakistan resumed their second innings at 52/2 after rain brought an early end to Day 2. Shan Masood and Azan Awais responded strongly, putting together a crucial 100-run partnership to take the visitors away from immediate danger. Masood continued to battle through the pressure and eventually fell five runs short of a century after making 95.

Awais also made an important contribution, scoring 59 to give Pakistan a solid platform in the middle of their innings. Babar then added further stability with a composed 76. After enduring a difficult run of form, the former Pakistan captain looked much more fluent and helped push the visitors closer to England’s first-innings total.

Gus Atkinson puts England back in control

Despite Pakistan’s strong top-order response, England fought back during the middle part of the innings. Gus Atkinson led the charge with three wickets for 109 runs as Pakistan lost wickets at regular intervals. The hosts appeared to have regained control when Pakistan slipped to eight wickets down.

With England needing only two more wickets to wrap up the innings, the visitors were still facing the prospect of setting a relatively modest target. However, Razaullah completely changed the momentum of the contest. The 21-year-old, batting at No. 9 on his Test debut, took the attack to England’s bowlers and produced one of the most remarkable innings of the match.

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Razaullah produces stunning debut innings

Razaullah smashed 81 from just 63 balls, hitting nine sixes to equal the world record for most sixes by a batter on Test debut. His fearless approach allowed Pakistan to add a huge number of runs during the final session and gave the visitors a genuine chance of salvaging the match. He shared a remarkable 121-run ninth-wicket partnership with Abbas, who contributed 42.

The pair completely frustrated England’s bowlers and ensured Pakistan not only avoided an innings defeat but also erased the entire first-innings deficit. Pakistan were eventually bowled out for 449, giving England a target of 130 runs for victory. After dominating the first two days, England now face a much more challenging situation heading into Day 4, with Pakistan’s extraordinary lower-order resistance keeping the series alive.

A monumental turnaround! 🔄

Pakistan bounce back with a massive 449 in their 2nd innings to lead by 129 runs at Stumps on Day 3 🏏#ENGvPAK #Cricket pic.twitter.com/WIbZsox2LP

— CricketTimes.com (@CricketTimesHQ) September 12, 2026

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