England rocked Rawalpindi early with a spin attack

Sajid Khan (3-55) and Noman Ali (2-53) picked up where they left off in Multan and gave Pakistan a strong start on the first morning of the final Test against England in Rawalpindi. The spin duo bowled from the start and remained consistent throughout the session, providing 15 overs to rock England's boat.

Opting to bat on a slow-spinning surface, England faltered at 110/5, with Ben Duckett (52) the only batsman able to bat with any degree of comfort.

As in the last game, all eyes were on the field in this test. Although it was an unused surface, it was difficult to predict the condition of the deck due to the numerous tricks used to ensure a dry spinning surface.

However, it was expected to be a spinning track and the only question was when the ball would start to rip off the field. It didn't take long to answer that question as the very first ball of the game bowled by Sajid spun violently from a mid-leg line and set the tone for things to come.

The surface clearly lacked pace and bounce became extremely low as the session progressed, with spin playing a key role. Sajid and Noman continued to bowl fresh balls while Duckett put on a steady opening stand of 56 runs along with Zak Crawley (29).

England looked comfortable early on, although the difficulty of the pitch was obvious. Noman finally made the breakthrough when he engineered an outside-half drive from Crawley to backward point. It was a goal that opened the floodgates for Pakistan as England suffered a collapse in the next hour.

Sajid took advantage of the uneven bounce and lines of attack to deliver the next two punches. Ollie Pope had no idea as he played down the wrong line to be LBW and the offspinner then picked out the big scalp of Joe Root, who was hanging off the back foot and missed a shot that narrowly bounced away for a single-figure score The first pitch was after 17 innings.

The low bounce continued to torment England as the well-positioned Duckett was next to fall, LBW, as he held back to fling but missed it completely. Noman ensured Pakistan extended their dominance by castled Harry Brook, who missed a sweep and found the wickets rattled. England lost five wickets in 77 balls, handing Pakistan the honor of the morning.

Short results: England 110/5 (Ben Duckett 52; Sajid Khan 3-55, Noman Ali 2-53) vs Pakistan.