Stats: England vs Pakistan 1st Test Day 3 – Record-breaking day for Yasir Shah

Yasir Shah was Pakistan’s saviour with both ball and bat as the visitors inch closer towards setting a stiff target for England in the first Test at Lord’s. With a lead of 281 runs at the end of the day with just two wickets in hand, the match is delicately poised.

After beginning the day on 253/7, England’s tail were quickly cleaned upfor 272 as the visitors took a slender 67-run lead, which in the context of the game might prove to be invaluable. Yasir Shah finished with a six-wicket haul while all three fast bowlers picked up a wicket apiece.

In reply, Pakistan’s openers floundered and the onus was on the middle-order once again. While Misbah-ul-Haq failed after scoring a century in the first innings, Asad Shafiq (49) and Sarfraz Ahmed (45) steadied the ship before Shah hit a few lusty blows to end the day unbeaten on 30 with Pakistan at 214/8.

Here are the statistical highlights from day three:

0 – No bowler has taken more wickets in his first 13 Tests than Yasir Shah’s 82. He overtook Charlie Turner’s tally of 81 wickets when he dismissed Steven Finn in England's first innings.

1 – Only one bowler, Abdul Qadir, has better figures for a Pakistan spinner in a Test innings in England than Yasir Shah’s figures. After Qadir’s took 7 for 96 at the Oval in 1987, Mushtaq Ahmed and Yasir Shah are the only two Pakistan spinners to have taken six wickets in an innings in England. Only Walter Robins has better figures for a leg spinner at Lord’s.

2 – Only twice has a Pakistan batsman batting at No.6 or lower, scored more runs in a Test in England than Asad Shafiq’s 122 in this Test. Asif Iqbal with 172 runs at the Oval in 1967 and Moin Khan’s 135 runs in Leeds in 1996 are the only two scores higher than Shafiq’s.

2 – Only twice have a team chased a total greater than 282 (Pakistan’s current lead) at Lord’s in 42 attempts. Of the 42 attempts, 24 were lost by the chasing side.

12.30 – The average of Pakistan openers in their last 20 innings in England. During which time, they have out for a duck four times and there has been 12 single-digit scores and Mohammad Hafeez’s 40 in this Test is the highest score during that times.

26.31 – Younis Khan’s strike rate of 26.31 achieved in his 95-ball 25 is his lowest in a Test innings when he has made 20 or more runs. His debut innings of 12 from 55 balls was his slowest innings.

403 – Chris Woakes now has 403 first-class wickets and crossed the 400 mark when he got rid of Azhar Ali on day three. This was also his fourth 10-wicket haul and second-best figures of his career.

1972 – Bob Massie against Australia in 1972 was the last time a fast bowler returned better figures in a Lord’s Test than Woakes’ current figures. In that match, Massie finished with figures of 16 for 137 while Woakes currently has 11 for 101 and the fourth-best by a fast bowler in Lord’s.

1978 – Ian Botham was the last England bowler to take two five-fors in a Test at Lord’s before Chris Woakes achieved the same. It was also only the third instance of an England bowler taking a ten-wicket haul in a Test at Lord’s in the last fifty years.