Will Jacks keeps Pakistan in check as England dig deep in search of lead

The session times of this historic first Test in Rawalpindi have been something of a movable feast, with the only way to counter the discombobulating nature of it to follow the arc of the winter sun before it slowly drops below the horizon and sees the umpires call stumps.

Another certainty on day three was that when Babar Azam strode out to bat during a characterful morning of hustle from England, he would join the list of centurions. Pakistan’s captain and unofficial king was at his regal best, peeling off the eighth Test hundred of his career – the seventh of this run-soaked series opener – and sending another bumper weekend crowd into a state of delirium.

This came moments before many were expecting tea (it instead came 15 minutes later) as Babar rocked back and cut his 126th ball through the covers for four. Ben Stokes, who had sent down a tired long-hop at the end of a four-over burst of muscular heft, could only look on as his opposite number took off his helmet, raised his bat and soaked up the adulation.

It is something of a cliche to speak of the passion in these parts but there is no other word for it. And while fours and sixes from both sides have induced cheers from a crowd not nearly as partisan as some might assume, the volume for those by Babar was at a different level entirely. This is why it was so important for first Australia and now England to return to Pakistan this year and end the long wait endured by the country’s cricket lovers.

Like their Ashes rivals, England are not just here to make up the numbers, however, they are looking for the win. And on a day of toil that tested energy levels and patience, their cause had advanced. Four wickets during an impressive evening session, to go with the