Sohail Khan marked his return to Test cricket after a five-year absence with a maiden five-wicket haul as Pakistan dismissed England for 297 on Wednesday’s first day of the third Test at Edgbaston.
After Sohail sparked a top-order collapse, England, who lost the toss, were indebted to left-handers Gary Ballance (70) and Moeen Ali (63) for taking them to what could yet prove a challenging total.
Sohail, a 32-year-old right-arm quick, removed a quartet of top-order batsman on his way to figures of five for 96 in 23 overs.
His return was all the more impressive as his previous two Tests — against Sri Lanka at Karachi in 2009 and against Zimbabwe in Bulawayo in 2011 — had yielded a combined haul of one for 245.
A stress fracture of the back after last year’s World Cup provided a further check on his progress.
When I played my first two Test matches, the pitches were flat and it didn’t swing for me,” Sohail told Sky Sports.
“But no excuses — I worked hard and it paid off.
“My plan was to hit the right area — you can bowl against any batsman if you hit the right area,” he added.
All six times a side have posted 335 or fewer in their first innings of an Edgbaston Test, having been sent into bat, they have gone on to lose.
