Mohammad Abbas pegs back England as improved Pakistan make their mark at Lord’s

• Seamer grabs four wickets to leave Test finely balanced

• Jordan Cox and Jamie Smith hit back with half-centuries

Footage of Brydon Carse kept flashing up on the big screens at Lord’s on Thursday. Not that footage, of course, but rather the headline-grabbing fast bowler enjoying a refreshing can of the fizzy apple juice that is English cricket’s “official drinks break partner”. In fairness, both clips make a decent advert for sticking to soft drinks.

In Carse’s absence – not that he was likely to play in this second Test against Pakistan – the metaphorical clouds hanging over this England team made way for the real thing. And after being stuck in on a nibbling slow surface, a Swiss clock-precise seamer such as Mohammad Abbas only ever going to be a handful.

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