James Taylor hit a maiden half-century on his return to the Test side as England closed in on Pakistan’s first innings total of 234 on the second day of the third match of the series in Sharjah on Monday.
The 25-year-old, playing his first Test since 2012, kept Pakistan at bay with an unbeaten 74 and found an able ally in Jonny Bairstow (37 not out) as the two put on an invaluable 83 for the unbroken fifth-wicket.
It leaves England on 222-4, just 12 runs behind Pakistan’s first-innings total with six wickets intact as they hope to build a decisive lead in their bid to level the three-match series.
Pakistan are 1-0 ahead after winning the second Test in Dubai while the first Test ended in a draw in Abu Dhabi.
Taylor kept England in the hunt, surviving a keen tussle between bat and ball, with Pakistan’s spin duo of Yasir Shah and Zulfiqar Babar threatening to break through.
But Taylor, playing his first Test since his only two other Tests against South Africa three years ago, batted with resolve, using his feet and sweeping to blunt the spin.
He pushed paceman Wahab Riaz for a single to reach his first half-century off 100 balls. He has so far hit six boundaries during his 141-ball stay at the crease.
When Taylor walked in England were struggling at 97-3 after Alastair Cook (49) and Joe Root — their two key batsmen — had been dismissed.
Taylor added 42 for the fourth wicket with Ian Bell (40) to steady the innings as Pakistan attacked with both pace and spin.
For Pakistan, Shah took 2-79 while Babar went wicketless in his 25 overs and even a second new ball at 181-4 failed to break the Taylor-Bairstow partnership.
– Outstanding –
“I think the bowlers were outstanding to bowl Pakistan out in a day and today was a better day to bat and obviously we wanted to get as close as we can and obviously now it’s to try and get past them,” said Bell, who praised Taylor.
“He (Taylor) is a smart and a busy cricketer and today he swept and used his feet and was busy and at the back end of the day he had a good partnership with Jonny.”
Bell, who survived a confident caught behind appeal off Babar, was finally stumped off Shah.
Bell and Cook had earlier steadied the innings with a 71-run stand for the second wicket.
England had added three runs to their lunch score of 87-1 when Cook fell to a soft dismissal as he pushed a Shah delivery straight into the hands of short-leg fielder Azhar Ali.
The in-form Root fell shortly afterwards to a loose shot off paceman Rahat Ali, smartly snapped up low to his right by wicketkeeper Sarfraz Ahmed.
Resuming at 4-0, England lost Ali in the seventh over of the day when he miscued an aggressive shot off spinner Shoaib Malik and was caught in the slips by Younis Khan for 14.
Cook, who made an epic 263 in the drawn first Test in Abu Dhabi, looked in no trouble as he negotiated Pakistan’s pace-cum-spin attack with confidence and appeared set for another half-century before he fell.
Bell smashed Babar for a six early in the innings and ably supported his skipper, adding valuable runs.