England dismiss Shan Masood to close on victory in third Test

Shan Masood was dismissed for a battling 95 as Pakistan dug deep to avoid an England win inside three days in the third Test at Edgbaston on Friday. The experienced batsman led a rescue operation alongside Azan Awais as the tourists passed 200 for the first time in the three-match series at the sixth attempt. Shan was in sight of an eighth Test hundred when he fell to a sensational slip catch by Dan Lawrence off the bowling of Gus Atkinson. The much-changed visitors are showing belated grit in Birmingham at the end of a turbulent series but have almost no chance of avoiding a humiliating 3-0 whitewash.

Pakistan lost two wickets without scoring a single run on Thursday before opener Azan settled in alongside Shan, putting on 125 for the third wicket. Their partnership was broken on Friday when Awais was caught down the leg-side by stand-in wicket-keeper Jordan Cox off the bowling of spinner Lawrence for 59, which brought captain Babar Azam to the crease. The skipper, who missed the first Test with an injured hand, batted fluently to reach his fifty off 76 balls, with eight boundaries. Pakistan were 246-4 at the end of the 55th over, with Babar 51 not out and Saud Shakeel unbeaten on 14, trailing by 74 runs. Ollie Robinson has been the pick of England’s bowlers so far, taking 2-36 in his 19 overs. England had bowled…