At lunch, Pakistan found itself in a challenging position at 180-7, with Saud Shakeel holding firm at the crease, having scored 72 runs off 132 balls amid a wicket that displayed variable bounce.
England, which had previously been bowled out for 267, now leads by 80 runs, largely thanks to Jamie Smith’s resilient innings of 89 runs. Smith’s efforts were overshadowed by Sajid Khan’s impressive six-wicket haul for Pakistan.
The focus shifted to the pitch, which played a critical role in this series-deciding match. Ground staff employed large fans and outdoor heaters to dry the surface, aiming to mitigate the impact of England’s aggressive batting. The conditions have allowed spinners to dominate the proceedings, resulting in 17 wickets falling within the first four sessions of play.
Pakistan utilized both of its available video referrals unsuccessfully as batsmen Mohammad Rizwan (25) and Salman Ali Agha (1) attempted lbw reviews against Ahmed (3-25), who was making his international comeback since February. Ahmed was effective, claiming the wicket of Aamer Jamal (14), who unfortunately back-pedaled a googly onto his stumps. England captain Ben Stokes effectively rotated his specialist spinners, achieving four wickets for just 114 runs during an extended session that reached 2.5 hours due to Friday prayers.
When play resumed with Pakistan at 73-3, captain Shan Masood and Shakeel initially resisted the England spinners, building a partnership of 53 runs. England almost broke through earlier when Shakeel, on 26, edged a delivery from Shoaib Bashir, but Smith could not grab the catch.
Masood’s cautious innings of 26 runs came off 70 balls before he was dismissed in the second slip when Ollie Pope successfully caught a thick edge off Bashir’s fast delivery. Shakeel then reached his eighth Test half-century and his sixth against England, marking his success with a well-timed sweep to the mid-wicket boundary before Ahmed’s swift strikes shifted the momentum back to England just before lunch.
Earlier in the series, Pakistan had leveled the contest at 1-1 with a commanding 152-run win in the second Test, played on a revived surface in Multan, following England’s impressive innings and 47-run victory in the first Test.