Ali Usman Takes First Test Five-Wicket Haul But Pakistan Struggles Against England

Pakistan’s Ali Usman achieved his first Test five-wicket haul during a challenging day for his team, which finds itself in a precarious position against England at Headingley. After the conclusion of day three, England holds a commanding lead of 195 runs with two wickets remaining.

Following his impressive performance, Usman admitted that Pakistan’s bowling unit had allowed England to score “too many runs.” He acknowledged his own shortcomings, stating, “Our bowling was not up to standard today, including myself. I took five wickets but we’ve given away too many runs as a bowling unit. We’ll work on our mistakes and try not to repeat them.”

Bowling conditions were favorable during the first hour of play, despite rain initially delaying the match. Players entered the field under dark skies with artificial lights aiding visibility. Although Pakistan bowlers enjoyed some success, they failed to maintain consistent lines, permitting Joe Root and Jordan Cox to establish a dominant 150-run partnership.

Usman provided some control upon his introduction, but he struggled at times. However, during the final half-hour, he felt the conditions were favoring spin. He claimed two wickets in quick succession, dismissing Dan Lawrence, who misplayed a sweep, and Harry Brook, who succumbed to a delivery that snuck past his defenses. Usman expressed particular satisfaction with taking Brook’s wicket, given the batsman’s strong record against Pakistan, averaging 84.72 in previous encounters.

“I wanted to bowl within the stumps,” Usman noted. “If they got even a bit of room, they were scoring runs. Dan Lawrence was struggling a bit against spin. But Harry Brook uses his feet very well, so he was harder to bowl to. That’s how I ended up taking the wicket I did.”

As light faded, Usman added a quick second strike, trapping Gus Atkinson leg before wicket and beating Ollie Robinson’s edge with his best delivery of the day, marking a rare feat for a visiting spinner at Headingley, the first since 1972.

Despite the pressure, Usman remained optimistic about the match’s prospects, asserting that the pitch conditions are increasingly favoring spin. He remarked, “I think day-by-day the wicket is slowing down. It’s slow already, it’s not especially fast, but on the next three days it’s going to take a lot more turn.”

Looking ahead, Usman stressed the need for Pakistan’s batting unit to perform well, stating, “In the batting, we’ll try to take it as deep as possible and score as many runs as we can. Our approach should be positive with the bat. We need to take it session by session. Anything can happen. We’re positive as a batting unit. We’ve scored runs in the West Indies and the warm-up game. Our batters are in form, so we hope they do well and we’re able to salvage this match.”

Special Credits: Image Courtesy of Espn