Will Bess keep his place for his batting alone?
England aren't quite where they want to be yet ... and there's a new ball lurking just around the corner too. It all seemed pretty cushty as they went to tea on 199 for 3, but they've lost both of their well-set batsmen after the break. Dawid Malan was the first to go, startled by Mohammad Amir's extra bounce outside off stump as he flinched involuntarily into the cordon.
And then Dominic Bess departed on the brink of his second fifty in as many innings. He'd just punched a low full toss through third man to move to 49, but then Shadab Khan responded with his best delivery of the Test. A ripping lifter outside off, thudding into the edge and deflecting to slip. Bess looked crestfallen - he'd scarcely been troubled all day, but at 212 for 5, England were just 38 runs ahead.
That said, England do have two pretty handy players in Jonny Bairstow and Jos Buttler to shore up the innings - although Buttler should have been Shadab's second scalp in as many overs. Hasan Ali at short midwicket let a gift fly clean through his grasp.
Bess and Malan give England the upper hand
England 199 for 3 (Bess 40*) lead Pakistan 174 by 25 runs
Tea on the second day of what has been a truncated day so far at Headingley, and England have found their feet after their early dismissal of Joe Root. Dominic Bess has taken the initiative, with poise and confidence, to reach 40 not out at the break, having added England's third fifty-run stand of the innings with Dawid Malan. Malan's innings has taken a leaf out of Alastair Cook's book (Alastair's cookbook?), in that he has forced himself onto the front foot, to escape those crease-bound demises that littered his tour of New Zealand. He has reached 27 not out with an innings of increasing poise, to carry England into what is currently a still slender lead.
Bess continues to impress as England take the lead
For a spin bowler who has yet to take a Test wicket, or even get a bowl in this, his second Test, Dominic Bess certainly looks and sounds as though he's made of the right stuff. His fifty on debut almost (well, not really...) saved England's blushes at Lord's last week, and now he's back on the front foot once again, taking his chance to bed in on the second day, after being promoted to No. 4 last night as a nightwatchman after Alastair Cook's dismissal.
With Dawid Malan alongside him, England have nudged into the lead, and it's certainly been Bess who's taken the initiative thus far today. He's cashed in on the occasions when Pakistan have erred in length, and shown pretty good judgement outside off as well. Not bad for a 20-year-old - like Sam Curran, Bess appears to have been selected for his all-round promise as much as his present abilities as a bowler. Maybe kids are the future after all.
Root extracted by Amir!
As Michael Vaughan warned this morning, on the resumption of his spat with Stuart Broad, "England haven't won this Test yet". And that truth was rammed a little bit further home by the early dismissal of the captain Joe Root for an otherwise serene 45.
It was Mohammad Amir who bagged him, via a thin snick through to the keeper, and following on from last night's removal of Alastair Cook for 46, it's a reminder of England's current inability to make their starts count. Dom Bess has looked solid in his nightwatchman role, but Dawid Malan is sorely in need of runs. And though England are pretty close to parity, they've got plenty work to do to build the sort of imposing first-innings total that their series situation demands.
Don't get too excited ... but play to start at 2.45pm!
The covers are coming off, and they will take another look at 2.20pm. I think that has to count as progress.
"The players are now warming up on the outfield," observes George Dobell. "Jos is having throw downs with Trevor. And Malan with Farby. And, oddly, Anderson with Cook." It is all pointing to some actual real-life action soon!
"According to the PCB (make of those three words and an acronym what you will)," adds Osman Samiuddin, "potentially we start at 245pm if it's not raining."
"... Jennings giving Bess throwdowns ..." adds George, who would rather be trainspotting than spotting training. "Stuart Broad burning an effigy of Michael Vaughan... (Not really, he's playing football)."
Tea, incidentally, will be at 4.40pm, and the close at 7pm, with an extra half-hour available. A total of 59 overs.
England aren't quite where they want to be yet ... and there's a new ball lurking just around the corner too. It all seemed pretty cushty as they went to tea on 199 for 3, but they've lost both of their well-set batsmen after the break. Dawid Malan was the first to go, startled by Mohammad Amir's extra bounce outside off stump as he flinched involuntarily into the cordon.
And then Dominic Bess departed on the brink of his second fifty in as many innings. He'd just punched a low full toss through third man to move to 49, but then Shadab Khan responded with his best delivery of the Test. A ripping lifter outside off, thudding into the edge and deflecting to slip. Bess looked crestfallen - he'd scarcely been troubled all day, but at 212 for 5, England were just 38 runs ahead.
That said, England do have two pretty handy players in Jonny Bairstow and Jos Buttler to shore up the innings - although Buttler should have been Shadab's second scalp in as many overs. Hasan Ali at short midwicket let a gift fly clean through his grasp.
Bess and Malan give England the upper hand
England 199 for 3 (Bess 40*) lead Pakistan 174 by 25 runs
Tea on the second day of what has been a truncated day so far at Headingley, and England have found their feet after their early dismissal of Joe Root. Dominic Bess has taken the initiative, with poise and confidence, to reach 40 not out at the break, having added England's third fifty-run stand of the innings with Dawid Malan. Malan's innings has taken a leaf out of Alastair Cook's book (Alastair's cookbook?), in that he has forced himself onto the front foot, to escape those crease-bound demises that littered his tour of New Zealand. He has reached 27 not out with an innings of increasing poise, to carry England into what is currently a still slender lead.
Bess continues to impress as England take the lead
With Dawid Malan alongside him, England have nudged into the lead, and it's certainly been Bess who's taken the initiative thus far today. He's cashed in on the occasions when Pakistan have erred in length, and shown pretty good judgement outside off as well. Not bad for a 20-year-old - like Sam Curran, Bess appears to have been selected for his all-round promise as much as his present abilities as a bowler. Maybe kids are the future after all.
Root extracted by Amir!
As Michael Vaughan warned this morning, on the resumption of his spat with Stuart Broad, "England haven't won this Test yet". And that truth was rammed a little bit further home by the early dismissal of the captain Joe Root for an otherwise serene 45.
It was Mohammad Amir who bagged him, via a thin snick through to the keeper, and following on from last night's removal of Alastair Cook for 46, it's a reminder of England's current inability to make their starts count. Dom Bess has looked solid in his nightwatchman role, but Dawid Malan is sorely in need of runs. And though England are pretty close to parity, they've got plenty work to do to build the sort of imposing first-innings total that their series situation demands.
Don't get too excited ... but play to start at 2.45pm!
The covers are coming off, and they will take another look at 2.20pm. I think that has to count as progress.
"The players are now warming up on the outfield," observes George Dobell. "Jos is having throw downs with Trevor. And Malan with Farby. And, oddly, Anderson with Cook." It is all pointing to some actual real-life action soon!
"According to the PCB (make of those three words and an acronym what you will)," adds Osman Samiuddin, "potentially we start at 245pm if it's not raining."
"... Jennings giving Bess throwdowns ..." adds George, who would rather be trainspotting than spotting training. "Stuart Broad burning an effigy of Michael Vaughan... (Not really, he's playing football)."
Tea, incidentally, will be at 4.40pm, and the close at 7pm, with an extra half-hour available. A total of 59 overs.
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