3 Nov 2015 | Cricket
England hit back with three wickets late in the evening session to check Pakistan's fightback and leave the third Test in Sharjah finely poised heading into the penultimate day.
The departures of Azhar Ali, Shoaib Malik and Younus Khan renewed the tourists' hopes of drawing the series after the former and Mohammad Hafeez had comfortably erased a first-innings deficit of 72 during an opening stand of 101.
Azhar ran himself out before Malik and Younus were trapped lbw by James Anderson and Stuart Broad respectively during spells in which the premier pacemen reversed the ball both ways.
Hafeez was still there three runs short of a century at stumps as Pakistan closed on 146 for three, a lead of 74 on a pitch that is offering more assistance for the spinners as the game wears on.
England managed to eke out an advantage at the halfway stage despite suffering another collapse, albeit not as drastic as the one on day three in Dubai, that saw them lose their last six wickets for 78 runs.
Five batsmen fell to the slow bowlers as Malik returned format-best figures of 4-33 before announcing his retirement from Test cricket at the close of play.
Like James Taylor, Samit Patel impressed on his return to the side with 42 while Ben Stokes, who sustained a collar bone joint injury on the opening day, ensured England posted 306 by defying the pain to face 10 balls and help Broad add another 10 runs.
England's hopes of building a bigger lead were dashed when Taylor and Jonny Bairstow departed during the first hour of play, the pair having given their side control late on day two.
Taylor poked at a Rahat Ali delivery that he should have left alone and edged behind in the fifth over and, after the tourists moved 11 runs in front, Bairstow was bowled by Zulfiqar Babar's arm ball when trying to cut
Patel, looking to play his shots at every opportunity after taking 14 balls to get off the mark, and Adil Rashid, who was much more reserved, extended their side's advantage during an alliance of 40.
But not for the first time in the match Misbah-ul-Haq turned to Malik and reaped immediate rewards as England's lower order subsided.
The off-spinner removed Moeen Ali with his fourth ball yesterday and struck in his second over today, Azhar brilliantly clutching on to a defensive prod from Rashid low down to his right at short-leg to what proved to be the final ball before lunch.
After Yasir Shah bowled Patel for 42 with a jaffer of a delivery, the fifth of the session, that pitched outside leg and clipped top of off stump, Malik knocked over Anderson and injured Stokes with off-breaks.
Stokes showed great courage during his uncomfortable stay at the crease and was forced to wear a Wahab Riaz bouncer on the body as his injury clearly restricted his movements.
Despite some early scares, in which Hafeez overturned a caught-behind decision on two and Azhar survived an lbw appeal, both off Anderson, batting became a lot easier for the openers.
While Azhar failed to find the rope during his 115-ball innings, Hafeez refused to rein in his attacking instincts and advanced down the track to drive both Patel and Moeen for two of his three sixes.
The pair, having moved their side ahead, appeared comfortable until Azhar let England back in with a moment of madness that led to his dismissal.
The right-hander drove Rashid to mid-off, set off for a run and then retracted the call too late to prevent Hafeez from joining him at the striker's end. An attempt at a direct-hit missed the stumps but Ian Bell at midwicket still had enough time to relay the ball back to Rashid to take off the bails.
One brought two as Anderson swung one into the pads of Malik first ball during a tireless nine-over stint and, after Hafeez and Younus stopped the charge with a 41-run partnership, Broad did the same to oust Pakistan's leading Test run-scorer, who offered no shot, three overs from the close.