England vs Pakistan: Alastair Cook and Alex Hales lead English fightback on positive day for hosts

England 297 & 120-0, Pakistan 400

Alastair Cook finished the day unbeaten on 64 as England fought back (Getty)

England might have to defy history and the weight of statistical probability to win this third Test but a first century stand between Alastair Cook and Alex Hales has given them a very good chance of doing just that in Birmingham.

The odds were stacked against England when they conceded a 103-run first-innings deficit at tea on this third day. In Test history, only 3.7 per cent of teams have recovered after being 100 runs or more in arrears at that stage of the match.

However, England’s opening pair wiped out the difference to take their team to 120 without loss by the close – a lead of 17.

It was the first time Cook and Hales have produced a century partnership in the 10 Tests they have played together.

Both reached 50 by the close, Hales registering his third Test half-century of his career and Cook finishing on 64.

With the series deadlocked at 1-1 and just one more Test after this at The Oval next week, this match and series is still very much in the balance.

Yet the prospect of building a big lead on Saturday and setting Pakistan a sizeable run chase, England will be the happier of the two teams.

That was not the case for much of a day, especially when James Anderson was removed from the attack after receiving his third warning for running onto the protected area of the pitch.

James Anderson is told he cannot bowl for the remainder of the innings by umpire Joel Wilson (Getty)

Anderson was warned twice by umpire Bruce Oxenford on day two for the same offence and his third strike saw him banished. England would ultimately lose the leader of their attack for the final 11 overs of Pakistan’s innings.

Thankfully the black mark against Anderson’s name only applies to that innings so he will be free to bowl whenever Pakistan set about their chase on the final two days.

This was the second such occasion Anderson has been removed from the attack for this offence – he also suffered the same fate during the Johannesburg Test against South Africa in January.

Cook’s men actually won that match and they’ll hope to do so again after a remarkable turnaround in fortunes in Birmingham.

England turned up on this third morning knowing wickets were the order of the day given Pakistan had ground themselves to within 40 runs of their first-innings total of 297 the previous evening.

A wicket from Chris Woakes, removing Azhar Ali for 139 with the final ball of the second day, had offered Cook’s side hope.

However, they were forced to wait until the eighth over of the morning to make their next breakthrough, Woakes again the bowler as Younis Khan was caught down the legside by wicketkeeper Jonny Bairstow.

Stuart Broad celebrates taking the wicket of Asad Shafiq (Getty)

Pakistan had moved to within one run of wiping out the first-innings deficit when Stuart Broad bowled Asad Shafiq, uprooting his off-stump to confirm an 18-ball duck for the Pakistan batsman.

By lunch the tourists on 336 for five, were leading by 39. The afternoon, though, got off to an explosive start as firstly Misbah-ul-Haq reached his half-century before Pakistan’s captain was bowled by Anderson for 56.

Yasir Shah then successfully won an lbw review given by umpire Joel Wilson in favour of Anderson. Yet the leg-spinner was run out two balls later, Bairstow using his elbow to dislodge the bails with the Pakistani fractionally out of his ground.

That saw Yasir react angrily, perhaps unaware that the laws of the game allow such a dismissal as long as the fielder has the ball in the same hand as the elbow – as Bairstow did.

Pakistan had a lead of 61 at that point with three wickets remaining but Woakes, with his 20th scalp of the series, then removed Mohammad Amir on review to reduce the tourists to 368 for eight.

Then came Anderson’s moment of controversy – Wilson pulling him out of the attack after giving him his third warning for running onto the pitch.

Asad Shafiq is bowled by Stuart Broad on day three (Getty)

England needed 11 more overs without the leader of their attack to prize out the final two wickets, Broad removing both Sohail Khan and Rahat Ali to wrap up the innings.

Cook and Hales then took on the challenge of wiping out the deficit, a feat they achieved 19 minutes before the close.

There was one moment of alarm before then, when Hales survived an lbw review on 39 instigated by Yasir Shah after the ball – hitting the stumps – pitched fractionally outside leg stump.

But the opening pair’s defiance and skill has set up what promises to be a fascinating conclusion to this contest.