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Razaullah's 81 lights up Edgbaston as Pakistan fight back

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Debutant Razaullah smashed 81 off 63 balls with nine sixes at Edgbaston, dragging Pakistan back into the third Test against England on day three.

A 21-year-old debutant named Razaullah hijacked the third Test between England and Pakistan at Edgbaston on Friday, hammering 81 from 63 balls to drag his side back into a match they had been expected to lose. Coming in at number nine, he struck nine sixes in an innings that lasted around two hours and left England's bowlers scrambling.

By the close of day three, England needed 130 to win, a target that had looked far more comfortable before Razaullah walked to the crease in Birmingham. Instead of wrapping up the game and taking Saturday off, both sides must return for a fourth day.

Razaullah arrived in international cricket almost unknown. He had played just eight first-class matches, with a single century to his name, and was picked as part of wholesale changes Pakistan made before the final Test. Selectors saw him primarily as a raw, quick fast bowler, with comparisons drawn to Waqar Younis. His name was not one England's attack had prepared for.

That changed quickly. He broke two bats during his onslaught and had to call for a third, flaying the England bowling to all corners. His nine sixes equalled the most ever hit in a single Test innings in England, matching Ben Stokes' 155 against Australia during the 2023 Ashes. In one innings he cleared the rope as many times as Sir Geoffrey Boycott did across his entire 108-Test career.

England captain Joe Root ran out of answers. At one stage he pushed eight fielders back to the boundary, a defensive setting that did nothing to slow the debutant, who kept swinging with the confidence of a player untroubled by the situation. Pakistan, well behind in the match and written off before a ball was bowled, batted with a freedom absent from earlier in the series.

Razaullah was not alone in the fightback. Opener Shan Masood anchored the innings with a patient 95, providing the application at one end that allowed the hitting at the other.

Former Pakistan captain Ramiz Raja, on BBC Test Match Special, said the innings marked the arrival of a genuine talent. "It's the first time he's been out there for Pakistan ever, and he absolutely lights up the show. This is the attitude that was needed," he said. "Someone with a strong body language and who believes in himself. They'll want him playing all formats because he's a natural in mind, body language and attitude. It was a tremendous fightback."

The style of the knock drew comparisons to Pakistan's great entertainers, with echoes of Shahid Afridi and Abdul Razzaq in the way Razaullah attacked. For a player with only one first-class hundred and a reputation built on bowling pace, it was a startling introduction on the biggest stage.

With 130 still to get, England remain favourites to close out the Test. But Razaullah's assault has ensured the match runs into a fourth day and handed Pakistan a contest they had appeared certain to concede.

Razaullah, Pakistan cricket, England Pakistan Test, Edgbaston, third Test, Shan Masood, nine sixes, Test cricket

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