Bairstow and Moeen punish Pakistan for lapses

Tea England 200 for 5 (Bairstow 55*, Moeen 52*) v Pakistan Live scorecard and ball-by-ball details

Jonny Bairstow counterattacked gamely with a 74-ball fifty, as he and Moeen Ali produced another vital sixth-wicket stand to haul England back into contention during a fascinating afternoon session on the first day of the fourth Investec Test.

By tea, the pair had added 90 in 22.4 overs to draw the sting of a Pakistan attack that had been sparked into life by a fiery comeback from Wahab Riaz. From an uncomfortable scoreline of 110 for 5 shortly after the lunchbreak, the pair had taken the score along to 200 for 5 after two sessions of the first day, with Moeen coming into his own during the second hour of the session to bring up his own fifty just before the interval.

It had been a spirited response from a Pakistan side whose last visit to London had resulted in a famous win at Lord’s, and had it not been for a series of avoidable lapses in the field – three dropped catches and a crucial no-ball reprieve for Bairstow, on 13 at the height of Wahab’s onslaught – England’s predicament could have been even more dire.

Instead, those let-offs, allied the fabled depth of England’s batting, meant that Pakistan were in danger of letting their stranglehold slip on an Oval surface that was far more batting-friendly than the morning’s overcast skies and its own green-tinged appearance had suggested.

It was, nevertheless, a revelatory spell from Wahab, who had made way for Sohail Khan in last week’s third Test but returned to demonstrate the benefits of a break by producing 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, as he gave all of England’s top order the hurry-up in a brutal seven-over spell before lunch 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 uncharacteristically failed to punish.

After 40 minutes with his feet up, he picked up where he had left off by prising the obdurate Gary Ballance from the crease for 8 – Azhar Ali at third slip just about clung onto a low edge that he deflected into his chest – before greeting Moeen with a savage angling bouncer that rebounded flush off the …

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