England v Pakistan

At Nottingham, July 26, 27, 28, 30, 31. Drawn. Pakistan, outplayed again, saved the match with the help of a stubborn century by Mushtaq Mohammad and avoided a clean sweep by England. Even so, England would probably have won but for the loss of ten and a half hours during the match.

Each side made four changes. England brought in Rev. D.S. Sheppard, Pullar, Knight and Lock for Cowdrey (unfit), Barrington, Allen and Stewart. Fazal, flown out to reinforce the Pakistanis four days before the match, Imtiaz, Intikhab and Shahid displaced Butt, Mahmood, Farooq and Akhtar. Shahid made his Test debut.

When he won the toss Burki decided to put England in to bat for the second time running. The morning was humid and the pitch green, but before a ball could be bowled rain began and persisted so long that nothing could be done on the first day. Play started promptly next morning and conditions were reasonable for batting.

Pullar soon fell, but Pakistan had to wait three hours ten minutes for their next success, Sheppard and Dexter adding 161. Dexter was in his usual dashing form, but for a long time Sheppard struggled to find his touch. He batted for four hours. Then came a partnership of 184 in three hours between Graveney and Parfitt.

Graveney took his fourth century of the tour off the Pakistanis, batting with delightful ease for three and a quarter hours. Parfitt, more subdued, obtained his third hundred in successive innings, all off the Pakistan bowling. It was his fifth century against the touring team and including one in Karachi, six in his last seven innings against them.

Dexter declared when a shower held up play ten minutes before lunch on the third day, Parfitt completing his hundred off the last ball before the break. The innings lasted seven and a half hours and Fazal, showing exceptional stamina, bowled throughout excepting but half an hour. He sent down 45 overs on the second day and bowled unchanged on the third morning.

Pakistan lost Hanif to the second ball of the innings and Shahid at 39, and although Mushtaq and Saeed showed stubborn resistance, six wickets were down for 127 by the close. Nasim fought hard, but Pakistan narrowly failed to save the follow-on and they batted again 209 behind.

Hanif again failed and Alim, handicapped by a pulled muscle, soon left. When Burki went at 78 England were well on top, but Mushtaq and Saeed checked them with a stand of 107. A draw then seemed certain, but with sixty-five minutes remaining and Pakistan 22 behind with five wickets left, Trueman had two catches dropped off him in one over. Mushtaq, then 80, was missed at long leg by Poole, substituting for Graveney (damaged right thumb), and Shahid, before scoring, offered a chance to Titmus at first slip.

These mistakes ended England's chances and Mushtaq completed his century just before the close. Dexter did not claim the optional half hour. Mushtaq's defiance lasted five and a quarter hours and he became the only batsman in history to score two Test centuries before reaching the age of 20.