Wahab strikes to hand Pakistan control

Lunch England 92 for 4 (Bairstow 13*, Ballance 3*) v Pakistan Live scorecard and ball-by-ball details

Wahab Riaz burst back to form with a ferocious pre-lunch spell on an easy-paced pitch at the Kia Oval, as Pakistan made light of a lost toss to claim four big wickets in a lively first session of the fourth Investec Test.

Wahab, who had made way for Sohail Khan in last week’s third Test at Edgbaston, showed the benefits of a break as he roared back with the sort of series-defining speed that he had demonstrated on the flat tracks of the UAE last winter.

His fastest delivery, 92.2mph, was also the fastest of the series to date, and he gave all of England’s top order the hurry-up in a brutal seven-over spell that included the key scalps of Joe Root for 26 and James Vince for 1, as well as a dropped catch at first slip off Alastair Cook that England’s captain failed to punish – he was instead dismissed eight balls later for 35, as he attempted a pull off Sohail Khan and edged into his own stumps.

After ignoring overcast skies and an alarmingly green-tinged pitch that would doubtless have had his confident battery of seam bowlers salivating, Cook appeared to have proven the wisdom of his decision to bat first with another breezy opening gambit that has become something of a trademark …

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