Third Test, day one: England 267; Pakistan 73-3Thirteen wickets fall on opening day of third Test
From the sport that once brought you leg theory, this was more like chaos theory. Before this week nobody quite knew what you would get if you spent the buildup roasting the wicket in a makeshift fan oven like a pale, flat chestnut, but it turns out the answer is wickets, 13 of them falling on opening day of drama and frequent befuddlement.
Of the 16 batters who tried only Ben Duckett, who scored 52 before being undone by one that kept unsportingly low, and Jamie Smith, who scored a vital and hugely impressive 89, looked comfortable at the crease. Thanks in large part to Smith England posted a score of 267 in what was the longest innings – since people started noting these things – when only spin was bowled. In response Pakistan reached stumps on 73 for three, with four of their batters having reached the teens and none getting beyond them.
More Stories
Geoff Capes: Britain’s greatest shot putter and two-time World’s Strongest Man – video obituary
‘I’m not going to move for two weeks’: Belgian trio set ultramarathon world record
Haaland goes full Matrix and a belter in Barcelona: Football Weekly Extra – podcast