Only 10.2 overs possible on fourth day at Ageas Bowl as rain wins again

Play was ultimately called off shortly before 4pm as the match meanders towards an inevitable draw

Ageas Bowl (fourth day of five): England 7-1 v Pakistan 236

Scorecard

Just 10.2 overs were possible on the fourth day of England’s second Test against Pakistan at the Ageas Bowl.

Play was ultimately called off shortly before 4pm as the match meanders towards an inevitable draw.

Across four days of rain interruptions and stormy conditions, only 96.2 overs have been bowled, with Pakistan’s first innings finally ended in the sixth over of the morning in Southampton.

Mohammad Rizwan, who came to the crease at 120 for 5, was the last man out, falling for a fine 72 as he looked to add quick runs alongside No.11 Naseem Shah.

He was caught by Zak Crawley to give Stuart Broad a fourth wicket. Crawley, however, would soon be back out in the middle.

After Rory Burns edged the first ball of England’s innings just short of first slip, three deliveries later he edged Shaheen Shah Afridi behind again – this time to Asad Shafiq at second slip. It was a fine piece of bowling, with the ball angling into the Surrey opener before leaving him off the pitch.

He was replaced by Crawley who himself was subjected to a difficult examination in bowler-friendly conditions. Pakistan lost one review after Azhar Ali believed Crawley to have been trapped in front, but replays showed he had got inside edge onto another Afridi in-swinger.

Yet, as Mohammad Abbas – testing as ever – prepared to begin his third over, the players were taken from the field, initially due to poor light, before the rains set in, bringing a damp, frustrating end to another day of this cursed Test.

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