Dan Lawrence scored his second half-century of the series against Pakistan on a rain-affected third day at Lord's, helping England to a commanding position. England closed on 177 for seven, leading by 357 runs, with Lawrence unbeaten on 50.
Lawrence's 'completely different' mentality
Lawrence, who returned to the Test team for the first time since 2024, said he is “desperate to establish myself in an England shirt” after taking solid steps in the right direction. The 27-year-old all-rounder finished the day unbeaten on 50, matching Jordan Cox's tally of two fifties in the series.
“I've really tried not to think about that,” Lawrence said about the competition for batting places, which has intensified in the continued absence of the injured Jacob Bethell. “I've tried to just enjoy every day of being here and trying to contribute to the team. It's pointless looking into the future. I'm just trying to give a good showing of myself and thankfully I think I have done.”
Learning from past failures
Lawrence's previous stint in the Test team, three matches against Sri Lanka in 2024 as an opener, yielded three single-digit scores and three scores in the thirties. He acknowledged that his mindset was different then.
“I got wrapped up in a lot of things and I was thinking about my position and what I needed to do to stay in the team, instead of just enjoying it and realising how lucky I am to play for England,” he said. “My mentality since coming back has been completely different. Hopefully, we get a good series win and then we'll see what happens in the coming months and years.”
Batting at No. 6 and supporting Gay
Lawrence, a middle-order batter by preference, was batting at No. 6 for the third time in the series. He said it has been “great fun batting in a position that is a little bit closer to what I'm used to.” He expressed sympathy for Emilio Gay, whose hard-fought 31 was ended by a grubber from Mohammad Abbas that kept low, trapping him lbw.
“He played beautifully last night, dug in really hard and fought for the team,” Lawrence said. “Hopefully that bit of bad luck he got, he gets all the good luck next week. He can take a lot of confidence in how he played.”
Lawrence also reflected on his own early escape: “To get off the mark I had a massive big whooshka and edged it over the slips. That could easily have been caught and I'd have looked really stupid.”
Pakistan's uphill task
Pakistan's target is already daunting. Of the four occasions when Pakistan have scored more than 300 runs in the fourth innings to win a Test match, three came against Sri Lanka and only one score exceeded 350. On an awkward pitch and against in-form bowlers, their task seems extremely difficult.
“As far as batting is concerned we can only hope,” said Mohammad Ali. “Until the last ball is bowled in cricket, or the last run is made, nothing is decided. Maybe if we can get them out quickly … Miracles do happen in cricket.”
