OSCAR RESS: Azhar was forced to retire hurt two balls into his second innings knock after being struck by Ollie Robinson. If passed fit, he will be permitted to return to the middle, if required
Pakistan face an anxious wait over Azhar Ali's fitness after he was sent for an X-ray on his finger after being forced to retire hurt two balls into his innings.
Ali was struck on the finger by Ollie Robinson and appeared to struggle to put his glove back on before leaving the field, bringing captain Babar Azam to the crease earlier than expected.
The fitness of their most experienced batter is vital for Pakistan and their chances of chasing their target of 343, and may reduce the number of wickets England need to take a 1-0 series lead.
Azhar Ali takes evasive action (AAMIR QURESHI/AFP via Getty Images)
If passed fit, he may return to the crease later in the innings if required. By the close, the hosts had navigated their way to 80 for 2 still needing another 263 for victory.
Ben Stokes' brave declaration helped turn a match destined for a draw on a benign pitch, with all four results possible on the final day.
Assistant coach Paul Collingwood said: "We are not scared of losing test matches and hopefully tomorrow mother cricket will look after us.
"We were never going to take a conservative route, it's not in our blood in this dressing room."
England assistant coach Paul Collingwood (Gareth Copley/Getty Images)
Speaking at the post-day press conference, he added: "Everyone's willing to watch the Test match with all results possible. We are very clear that we will risk losing matches in a bid to be able to be in winning positions, if it is an early declaration or a really good one we'll see tomorrow.
"When Stokes and (Brendon) McCullum took over, our first priority was to change the way Test cricket is played. We wanted it to be more entertaining just like T20 cricket. If we win playing that way, great but even if we lose it's still a win for Test cricket.
"The crowd has been fantastic! This is why we are in Pakistan, we want people to turn up and come in numbers to watch Test cricket, which hasn't been in Pakistan for a number of years. Hopefully, they'll get to see some very exciting cricket tomorrow."
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