After 65 overs of denying England a breakthrough, Pakistan openers fell in quick succession
\n RAWALPINDI
\nPakistan skipper Babar Azam became the seventh batsman to smash a century on Saturday, on day three of a veritable runfest in the opening test against England in Rawalpindi, but the visitors remain on course for a solid first innings lead.
\nAfter an English quartet hammered hundreds on Friday, a trio of home batters helped themselves to centuries to power Pakistan to 499-7 on day three.
\nAgha Salman was batting on 10 with Zahid Mahmood on one at the other end when bad light stopped play, with Pakistan still 158 behind England\u2019s massive first innings total of 657.
\nEngland batsman Joe Root told Sky Sports afterwards: \u201cA brilliant day. That last session, all the work we put in came to fruition.
\n\u201cIt was attritional. We had to be creative throughout the day and we got our rewards at the end,\u201d he said.
\nBatting records continued to tumble on the placid pitch, however, with all four openers hitting hundreds in the first innings of a test match for the first time.
\nResuming on 181 for no loss, openers Imam-ul-Haq (121) and Abdullah Shafique (114) duly brought up their hundreds before England struck with their spinners.
\nImam and Shafique\u2019s 225-run collaboration nearly matched the 233-run opening stand Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett had forged for England.
\nAfter 65 overs of denying England a breakthrough, the Pakistan openers, however, fell in quick succession.
\nAbdullah became Will Jacks\u2019 (3-132) first test victim after attempting a cut shot and instead deflecting the ball into Ollie Pope\u2019s waiting gloves.
\nAbdullah\u2019s third test hundred included 13 fours and three sixes.
\nJack Leach removed Imam by luring the left-hander into stepping out only to find Ollie Robinson at long on.
\nImam smashed 15 fours and two sixes in his third test hundred \u2014 all three of which have come at Rawalpindi.
\nAzhar Ali (27) got an extra life on 20 when Crawley spilled him at leg slip but could not capitalise and fell lbw to Leach a short while later.
\nBabar was rock solid as usual. His England counterpart Ben Stokes tried to bounce him out on an unresponsive pitch and Babar had no problem pulling him repeatedly.
\nHe eventually brought up his eighth test hundred and first against England with a four off Stokes, making a little prayer before resuming batting.
\nEngland claimed four wickets in the final session to maintain their upper hand.
\nRobinson dismissed Saud Shakeel (37) in the first over after tea and Babar was the next to go, fluffing a cut shot against Jacks. Babar\u2019s 136 was studded with 19 fours and a six.
\n\u201cWe have three big wickets to take in the morning, then we will try and crash some around and get up to a reasonable total,\u201d England\u2019s Root said.
\nPakistan Cricket Board chairman Ramiz Raja has described the state of the pitch at Rawalpindi as \u201cembarrassing\u201d, blaming it on the lack of test matches played there.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
After 65 overs of denying England a breakthrough, Pakistan openers fell in quick succession RAWALPINDI Pakistan skipper Babar Azam became the seventh batsman to smash a century on Saturday, on day three of a veritable runfest in the opening test against England in Rawalpindi, but the visitors remain on course for a solid first innings […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":299130,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-299107","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-sports"},"yoast_head":"\n