Having taken a reasonable first-innings lead Pakistan should have been able to consolidate it further to a sizeable one to try to get near the winning post.

However, their inept, defensive and inconsistent batting — which on more than one occasion has let them down in the past — once again put them on the back foot here at Lord’s on Saturday.

Poor start yet again by Mohammad Hafeez and Shan Masood meant much more application to build the lead but wickets tumbled under pressure and through excessively protective approach adopted by touring batsmen, particularly from Azhar Ali (23 off 75 balls), as England bowlers brought their team back in the game.

Hafeez and Shan were disappointing. Only if Hafeez knew the urgency of the situation or Shan knew his off stump from his leg, they could have given Pakistan a much-needed solid start.

They therefore failed, not really allowing the latter batsmen to play with required confidence as the wickets fell at regular intervals giving Alastair Cook’s men the edge.

Capricious batting also did not help.

Misbah, the first innings century maker, clouted one uppishly to be caught in the deep and that did not bode well for their innings as meandered along in hope of securing a respectable score.

Much was therefore left for Younis Khan and Asad Shafiq to handle and get back into the game for Pakistan to post a decent total from where their bowlers could unleash their pace and spin to dismiss England for the second time.

Yasir Shah, who grabbed six wickets in the first innings to be on the honours board of Lord’s, is what Pakistan now would have to bank on when England bat again.

Yasir does play on the minds of English batsmen having already taken 21 wickets in the three Tests, including the ongoing game here, against them.

For the leg-spinner to have a go at them for the second time in this match he would definitely need a sizeable score to defend and that could only have been possible if Pakistan pressed on for an impressive second-innings score.

Younis and Asad had settled down for an important partnership which indeed in the end would have mattered.

Once however, Younis departed it seemed bleak once again for Misbah’s brigade.

Asad, who batted brilliantly in the first innings, continued to play exquisite shots all round for his well-crafted 49 under extreme pressure, driving, cutting with relish to keep the innings going giving Pakistan hopes and a chance of resurrecting the wobbly innings.

His dismissal after tea to an exquisite Chris Woakes delivery further dented Pakistan.

A lot will now depend on the tailenders to extend Pakistan’s lead to a respectable one for a fight against the hosts — who are as much desperate to restrict the tourists to a minimum — at the game’s most prestigious venue.

Published in Dawn, July 17th, 2016