LONDON – Mohammad Amir took two wickets in three balls as Pakistan closedin on an innings victory inside three days in the first Test againstEngland at Lord s on Saturday.

England were 111 for six in their second innings at tea on the third day,still needing a further 68 runs to make Pakistan bat again in the first ofthis two-Test series.

And after Amir had struck twice in quick succession to remove Dawid Malanand Jonny Bairstow, Mohammad Abbas captured the prize wicket of Joe Root,the England captain lbw for 68.

Overall, England — on a sunny day and in the best batting conditions ofthe entire match — had lost four wickets for 19 runs.

Their latest top-order collapse left England facing their sixth defeat ineight Tests after they failed to record a win at this level on tour inAustralia and New Zealand.

Malan, who saw a piece of his helmet fly off after turning away from aHasan Ali bouncer, struggled while making 12 off 50 balls.

The left-hander was undone on his Middlesex home ground after being drawninto playing at a good length Amir ball he edged behind, with divingwicket-keeper Sarfraz Ahmed, the Pakistan captain, holding an excellent lowone-handed catch that would not have carried to first slip.

Two balls later, Jonny Bairstow fell for a duck when left-arm quick Amirproduced a superb delivery that cut back in to clip the top of off stump.

Amir, whose career almost came to a complete end at Lord s back in 2010after he received a jail sentence and five-year ban from cricket for hisinvolvement in a spot-fixing scandal during a corresponding Test againstEngland, had taken two wickets for no runs in three balls.

England were now 91 for four and badly needed a batsman to support Root.

But instead Ben Stokes (nine) carelessly turned teenage leg-spinner ShadabKhan off his pads to midwicket, where Fakhar Zaman — on as substitute forBabar Azam — held a good catch.

Root is the most talented batsman in the England side, but a point that isheld against him when his record is compared to that of India s Virat Kohlior New Zealand s Kane Williamson is his conversion rate of fifties tohundred.

Saturday s innings was Root s 40th fifty in 68 matches at this level.

But there was no 14th Test hundred for the Yorkshireman, who was lbw to anAbbas ball that nipped back and hit him in front of his stumps.

England found themselves with a huge first-innings deficit of 179 runsafter Pakistan, 350 for eight overnight, saw their first innings end on 363.

Babar, who top-scored with 68 before retiring hurt on Friday having beenhit by a Stokes delivery, was unable to bat again after scans confirmed hehad suffered a broken forearm which will rule him out of next week s secondTest at Headingley.

England, faced with a mountain to climb, were soon one for one as AlastairCook was dismissed for just a single.

The left-handed opener, making a record-equalling 153rd consecutive Testappearance, had top-scored with 70 in England s meagre first-innings 184.

But Saturday saw England s all-time leading Test run-scorer lbw to an Abbasdelivery that nipped back. So clear was the decision that Cook did notbother with a review.

Shadab struck next when Mark Stoneman, neither forward nor back, was bowledoff stump by a ball that kept low. – APP/AFP