Lawrence impresses as weather delays England

Second Rothesay Test, Lord's (day three of five)

England 290 (Smith 61, Cox 55; Abbas 4-73) & 177-7 (Lawrence 50*; Abbas 3-48)

Pakistan 110 (Awais 46; Robinson 4-11, Archer 3-26)

England lead by 357 runs

Scorecard

Dan Lawrence impressed in devilishly difficult batting conditions to advance England's push for a series win over Pakistan on a weather-hit third day of the second Test.

Lawrence is one of the players looking to cement a place in the new-look England team and he enhanced his credentials with an unbeaten 50, his second half-century in as many Tests.

Only 24.5 overs were possible at Lord's on Saturday because of persistent rain. The action did not begin until 14:40 BST then was regularly interrupted until the players left the field for the final time at 17:08.

In farcical scenes, play was eventually abandoned at 18:30 in the best weather of the day to boos from the remaining spectators. There was potential for another hour to be used.

Lawrence lifted England to 177-7 in their second innings, with a lead of 357 looking colossal given the assistance on offer for bowlers and Pakistan's weak batting.

On the juicy surface, under the leaden sky and floodlights, Pakistan's trio of seamers made life incredibly hard for England's batters after they resumed on 81-3.

With the ball darting around in the air and off the seam, the last thing Emilio Gay needed was uneven bounce. Gay got one from Muhammad Abbas that shot along the ground to be lbw for 31, missing another chance to make the opener's spot indisputably his own.

Harry Brook and Lawrence battled to add 45 for the fifth wicket, a significant achievement given the task they faced. Brook adjusted his game to the situation before he was out for 34, superbly caught up to the stumps by wicketkeeper Muhammad Rizwan.

Lawrence eventually decided attack was the best form of defence, accelerating towards his fifth half-century in Test cricket.

Sunday's weather forecast is much better and should provide ample opportunity for England to seal victory in this match and their first series win since 2024.

In their rebuild following the retirement of Ben Stokes, England have stumbled upon a promising four-pronged pace attack.

If the post-Stokes bowling has settled, the batting line-up is in a state of flux, especially with Jacob Bethell eventually due to return from a knee injury.

The situation on Saturday - the conditions and broken play – meant extra value could be placed on any contribution with the bat. Gay will feel desperately unlucky that his opportunity was cut short, while Lawrence's half-century was worth much more.

Gay showed tenacity to reach 30 overnight. From the fifth ball he faced on Saturday, he was left helpless by the Abbas shooter that left him palpably lbw, a delivery to once again ignite debate about the Lord's pitch.

The opener was crestfallen, while captain Joe Root shook his head on the England balcony. In his first summer as a Test opener, Gay has been presented with taxing circumstances, still, an average of 23 is far from enough to guarantee a long-term place.

It could be that Gay and Lawrence are vying for one place when Bethell returns. While Gay was undone by the grubber, Lawrence came through multiple deliveries that spat and hit him on the body to further his case for long-term retention in the team.

Even if the weather does improve, batting is likely to remain a huge challenge for the remainder of this match.

For that reason, as well as the form of the England bowlers and possible absence of the injured Pakistan opener Imam-ul-Haq, the home side's lead is probably already enough.

Pakistan will need at least 358 runs to win, having managed only 416 in three completed innings so far in the series.

The failed experiment of asking Lawrence to open for three Tests in 2024 was one of the most criticised decisions in Stokes' four years as captain.

It could have been the end of Lawrence's Test career, but he has got a recall in the absence of Stokes, partly because he can offer some off-spin bowling. He has only been required to bowl one over, so has instead taken his chance with the bat.

This latest half-century was much more impressive than a scratchy innings in Leeds. At Lord's, following a swipe to get off the mark with a boundary edged over the slips, Lawrence showed bravery, determination and invention.

Time and again both he and Brook were beaten by the movement generated by the Pakistan seamers.

After scrapping to 19 from 39 balls, Lawrence changed approach. He danced to slice Mohammad Ali for four, then, next ball, shimmied to hit the same bowler over the covers for a magnificent six.

Brook's dismissal was the signal for England to lose regular wickets amid the breaks. Lawrence continued to attack and receive the blows.

Immediately after tea he clobbered the spin of Ali Usman over the leg side for six, then reached his half-century from 64 balls in the following over.

The weather permitted only two more balls to be bowled, leaving Lawrence primed for a further assault on Sunday morning.