Eng Vs Pak: Buttler-Crawley's unbeaten stand puts hosts in the driver's seat in 3rd Test

Opener Zak Crawley and wicket-keeper batsman Jos Buttler are making their bat do the talking as their stellar batting partnership is taking England to a mammoth total in the series-deciding third and final Test match at the Ageas Rose Bowl in Southampton. The duo has been giving a tough time to the Pakistani bowlers right after the tea session on Day 1 and are showing absolutely no remorse on Day 2 either as they are whacking the bowlers to all parts of the ground. 

Crawley-Buttler's unbeaten partnership

English skipper Joe Root won an important toss and elected to bat first on a wicket that is expected to make batting look difficult in the fourth innings. However, the Pak bowlers applied breaks on their momentum by taking two wickets early on before the hosts rebuilt their innings. However, they ended up losing another couple of wickets in no time and just when they looked in a spot of bother at 127/4, Buttler joined Crawley out in the middle and slowly the duo rebuilt the English innings.

Once they got set, they started going after the lethal Pakistani pace battery and are now taking England past the 400-run mark as they have added 272 runs for the fifth-wicket stand while publishing this copy. Buttler is unbeaten on 120 while Crawley has just got to his maiden Test double century and is unbeaten on 205.

Can Pakistan stage a comeback?

With the series on the line, Pakistan have no choice but to win this one as England have already won the opening contest at the Old Trafford, Manchester which means that if this Test match either gets washed out or ends in a stalemate then the hosts would register their second consecutive Test series win. 

The visitors will have to come out all guns blazing in their first innings and hope to get past England's lead.

READ: Jos Buttler Silences Critics With Second-ever Test Century Against Pakistan At Ageas Bowl