Joe Root once again stood firm as England’s standout batsman as the tourists valiantly denied Pakistan on day four of the second Test in Dubai.
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With England set an improbable target of 490 to win, f as his side closed on 130-3, still 360 runs adrift of Pakistan but with a faint hope of denying the hosts victory.
Jonny Bairstow is the other unbeaten batsman, with 9, as he and Root denied Pakistan in the evening.
For England to bat out the day and salvage a draw they will need Root at his dominant best and the 24-year-old will require substantial support from a middle-order that has looked flaky at best in the two Tests in the UAE so far.
And if they are to win, they will need to post the second highest fourth innings total in history and complete the highest run chase Test cricket has ever seen, 73 runs more than the West Indies’ record of 418 set in 2003 against Australia.
Pakistan will be disappointed that they weren’t able to wrap things up with a day to spare but will be safe in the knowledge that they remain clear favourites to take a 1-0 series lead.
Resuming on 222-3, with a lead of 358, Pakistan set about putting the game well beyond England’s reach with plenty of time left to bowl them out for a final time.
And despite losing captain Misbah-ul-Haq in the fourth over of the morning, there was little England could do to stop Pakistan steamrolling them towards a defeat.
Younis Khan completed a superb 31st Test century and alongside Asad Shafiq took Pakistan to 311-4 at lunch, and a lead of 447.
Younis departed in the fifth over of the afternoon session as his attempted slog sweep off Adil Rashid was brilliantly caught by Moeen Ali, running round from mid on to take the skier low to the ground and over his shoulder.
By the time Misbah decided enough was enough, Shafiq was heading back to the pavilion having made 79 in brisk fashion from 112 balls.
.@joeroot05 (59*) & @jbairstow21 (6*) have guided England to 130-3 at the close. They’ll be back tomorrow #PAKvENG pic.twitter.com/CHKcowIS9L
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) October 25, 2015
It gave Pakistan a lead of 490 and 17 overs to bowl at England before tea as the tourists faced up to the prospect of batting out more than four sessions to salvage a draw or improbable win.
In need of a solid start to proceedings, it couldn’t have gone worse for England.
Moeen departed in the fifth over for just one run, matching his equally disappointing first innings and casting yet more doubt over his future as a Test opener – just two matches in.
It would get worse for England before the interval, Alastair Cook top edging a slog-sweep to deep square-leg off Yasir Shah for 10.
England were reeling at 19-2, but more worrying was the fitness of their captain and chief run scorer.
Congratulations to Asad Shafiq for scoring his 13th Test Fifty #PAKVENG #DreamGreen pic.twitter.com/r9IFjtF4lz
— PCB Official (@TheRealPCB) October 25, 2015
Cook was visibly struggling during his 22 balls at the crease, limping hurriedly through quick singles and walking easy ones after being hampered by a groin injury.
After his departure, Sky Sports reported the England team as saying they were “unconcerned” by Cook’s injury but the warning signs were there for all to see.
Should Cook miss out in Sharjah, England’s hopes would be significantly diminished.
It would further increase the onus on Joe Root to score the large bulk of England’s runs, the baton once again being forced into his hand in this second innings.
Root joined Ian Bell at the crease as the pair set about trying to null Pakistan’s threat, a task they ably performed in a 102-run partnership for the third wicket, before Bell gloved Zulfiqar Babar to Younis at slip.
The only active player and Pakistani to make this list… #PAKvENG https://t.co/xB3jhU9M1n pic.twitter.com/k64Lm7Z2ut
— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) October 25, 2015
It was a welcome innings of 46 from Bell, who is under huge pressure to perform after a barren 12 months of Test cricket.
With James Taylor waiting in the wings, Bell may well have edged ahead of Jos Buttler in the axed stakes for the third and final Test, which begins in Sharjah on 1 November.
While that will come as a relief to the Warwickshire batsman, it will not ease the pain of impending defeat in a Test match England could so easily have swayed in their favour had they not fallen apart at the start of day three.
