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| - Zak Crawley was on the brink of a maiden Test century after Pakistan saw off England captain Joe Root on the opening day of the series finale at Southampton on Friday. England were 184-4 at tea after winning the toss on a blustery and increasingly sunny morning. Crawley was 97 not out and Jos Buttler 24 not out, with the pair having shared an unbroken stand of 57 runs. Yasir Shah had tea figures of 2-60 from 19 overs -- a fine return for a leg-spinner on the first day of a Test. England, 1-0 up in a three-match contest, need to avoid defeat if they are to win their first series against Pakistan in 10 years. They suffered an early setback when Rory Burns nicked a full-length ball from fellow left-hander Shaheen Afridi that moved away late, with Shan Masood holding a good low catch at fourth slip. Burns stood his ground but replays confirmed it was a fair catch and he was out for six, the Surrey batsman now averaging a lowly five from four innings in a tough series for openers. Crawley, fresh from his 53 in the second innings of the drawn and second Test at Southampton, a match marred by bad weather, cut Yasir for four and glanced fast bowler Naseem Shah for another boundary. But a second-wicket stand worth of 61 ended when Dom Sibley, going down the pitch to Yasir, was given out lbw for 22 following an impassioned appeal. Sibley reviewed but, once again this season, a decision by umpire Michael Gough was upheld, with tracking technology indicating the ball would have hit middle stump. Crawley brought up an 80-ball fifty off the last ball of the session when, tempted to drive after Pakistan reinforced the slip cordon, he stylishly struck Afridi to long-off for the seventh four of his innings. England 91-2 at lunch, lost two wickets early in the second session to be 127-4. There was little Root could do on 29 when a full-length delivery from teenage paceman Naseem seamed away late to take the outside edge, with wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan holding a fine diving catch. Ollie Pope was then once again this series undone by Yasir's quicker delivery when clean bowled for three hanging back in the crease. But Crawley surpassed his previous Test-best of 76, which he made last month against the West Indies at Southampton. He went to 95 with a commanding hook for four off Afridi but the 22-year-old Kent batsman faced an anxious 20-minute wait during the tea break. England made just one change following the second Test, with fast bowler Jofra Archer replacing Sam Curran. Left-arm seamer Curran had been brought into the side in place of Ben Stokes, with the star all-rounder missing the last two Tests of the series to be with his ill father in New Zealand. Pakistan were unchanged for another match being played behind closed doors because of the coronavirus. jdg/mw
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