England v Pakistan: second mens cricket Test, day three – live updates

The latest email in my inbox comes from Lord's Ticketing. “There's still time,†it says, “to secure your place at Day Four.†Not sure about that preposition.

It's raining again. The covers are on and Sky, deciding that this break may take a while, are showing The Film Room, with Atherton, Nasser and David Lloyd reminiscing about England's series against Pakistan in 1996. All of them were involved – Atherton as captain, Lloyd as coach and Hussain as one of the batters trying to cope with Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis.

“Those previous posts regarding 6th Form Common Rooms back in the 70s brought back memories here too,†says Mike Jennings. “My own 6th Form years, 1976-77, were an interesting set-up where our St.Aidan's C.E. Harrogate shared our 6th with St. John Fisher's R.C about 500 yards down the road. This meant having two Common Rooms. St.Aidan's was a brand new space, all pine and chrome furniture. Very dull. But the John Fisher's was up in the attic and furnished with mismatched ratty but comfy old armchairs and sofas.

“We painted it ourselves in hideous 70s orange and chocolate leftover paints. The space was pretty much the Masters' Common Room in Gormengast (without the smoking obviously) but with the addition of a record player, featuring this.â€

Another email! It's Guy Hornsby, with a tale of two batters. “A gloomy, nippy day of cricket,†he says, “one which you'd think if Pakistan's batters could've bedded in more, it would've been much more pressure for this England line-up. I'm curious on the relative credit of Emilio Gay and Dan Lawrence.

“Gay has not scored enough runs, but has often looked serene when he has, batting in the hardest of conditions. Lawrence has come in when the pressure is less, and has often looked to counter-attack. But is his innings today any proof he can succeed in this most lofty of formats? I really rate him, and he's pulled up trees in the Championship, but how solid does he really look?

“You feel perhaps now even a ton next week may not be enough for Gay, but Cox has looked a much stronger bet to me for the middle order. A good problem to have perhaps, but who'd be an opener against Abbas?â€

“The rain has gotten heavier,†says Eoin Morgan. In that very mini-session, we had 12 minutes' play, 15 runs and one wicket. England lead by 357 runs, and the commentators have begun to wonder if Joe Root will declare tonight.

My guess is that he'll want to give Dan Lawrence the chance to reach his first Test century. And if Root does declare, something tells me it won't be when Lawrence is on 98.

47th over: England 177-7 (Lawrence 50, Robinson 2) As Mohammad Ali continues, Ollie Robinson avoids a pair with a neat clip to leg, and Dan Lawrence pulls for a single to reach a fine 50 off only 64 balls. “Has to be one of the better fifties he's got in his career,†says Dinesh Karthik. “Not just his international career.†And then the weather strikes back.

46th over: England 174-7 (Lawrence 49, Robinson 0) Babar persists with Ali Usman, when surely Mo Abbas is itching to resume his bid for the honours board. Lawrence tucks in: a mis-timed slog for four, a neat lap for two, and a proper slog-sweep for six.

45th over: England 162-7 (Lawrence 37, Robinson 0) Time for Lawrence to throw the bat, perhaps.

Mohammad Ali has three balls of this over left and he uses them well. He persuades Atkinson to take a big swish at thin air, then shuts him up with a bouncer, and finally pins him LBW. It's plumb and Atkinson doesn't bother to review.

The covers are off and the players are out there.

We have an email! “Very much enjoyed John Harrington's earlier reminiscences of 6th Form break out rooms of yore,†says Brian Withington, picking up on a post from 12:48. “Mine was two miles down the road from his and two years later at the Royal Liberty in Gidea Park, Romford.

“I think Monty Python still featured on the turntable fairly regularly, but my personal memory is of my own copy of Yesterdays with the definitive cross-genre cover of Paul Simon's wonderful America by the early Yes line up. Mmmm, nice.â€

I never thought the day would come when I would expose our readers to the sound of Yes, but as Brian is an old friend of the OBO, and Paul Simon is a genius, here we go.

And that will be tea. England have made 81-3 today, just as they did last night, to reach 162-6. They lead by 342 runs, and should end up setting Pakistan a target that is close to what they've managed in three innings so far – 416.

Mid-45th over: England 162-6 (Lawrence 37, Atkinson 7) Atkinson, loosened up by those singles, flicks Mohammad Ali for four. And then, as the light dims and the rain begins to fall, the umpires call a halt.

44th over: England 158-6 (Lawrence 37, Atkinson 3) Mohammad Abbas finally takes a break, with 18-2-48-3 in this innings and 15 wickets at Lord's. Babar summons Ali Usman for the first over of spin n this innings and Atkinson cashes in with a few singles.

43rd over: England 153-6 (Lawrence 35, Atkinson 0) This partnership may have brought only three runs, but there's a pattern to it: Lawrence takes a comfy single off the first ball, leaving Atkinson to poke and prod at the rest. Mohammad Ali produces one of those nippy leg-breaks, beating Atkinson's bat by about a foot and making poor old Rizwan wince again. But then Atkinson manages a leg-bye, and Lawrence, presented with two bonus balls, can't do anything with them as Ali goes for length first and then a wily bouncer to keep Lawrence at that end.

England lead by 333, which, as Mike Atherton points out, is what Graham Gooch once scored here on his own. I was there as a wide-eyed young correspondent and so, rather more significantly, was Atherton, as Gooch's opening partner.

42nd over: England 151-6 (Lawrence 34, Atkinson 0) Abbas is still on, gasping to get that five-for. As he targets the off bail, Atkinson struggles to keep him at bay but just about manages it with a couple of shaky prods. When Abbas changes his line in search of an LBW, Atkinson misses, twice, but each time there's enough bounce to rule out an appeal.

The weather has got worse again. It's not dark yet but it's getting there.

41st over: England 150-6 (Lawrence 33, Atkinson 0) Gus Atkinson was England’s third-best batter in the first innings, after Smith and Jordan Cox. Lawrence acknowledges this by taking a single right away, trusting him to face five balls from Mohammad Ali. Atkinson plays and misses once or twice before playing a handsome straight push, so straight that it hits the stumps at the other end and brings no run.

40th over: England 149-6 (Lawrence 32, Atkinson 0) That was a good riposte from Abbas, who had just been belted for four by Smith.

One more for Abbas! Smith picks the wrong ball to flick to leg. It climbs off a length and pops up off the inside edge to give Shan Masood a simple catch at square leg.

39th over: England 142-5 (Lawrence 29, Smith 3) Smith almost perishes, edging Mohammad Ali just short of Babar Azam at first slip. Ali bowls a no-ball, called by the umpire next to him. Smith plays his first good shot, a glide for two, though it's a bit too meaty for that to be the mot juste. But then he has a waft at a wide one, not meaty at all. In these conditions, you get …

38th over: England 139-5 (Lawrence 29, Smith 1) As Abbas trundles in again, Smith gets off the mark with a thick inside edge. With Rizwan standing up, Lawrence is confined to barracks. Abbas induces him to play and miss outside off and then tries to get him stumped down leg, but Lawrence stays in his crease.

Abbas, by the way, has now taken 14 wickets in two Tests at Lord's at an average of about 12. He has three four-fors but hasn't made the honours board yet, so he may be itching to take three of these last five wickets.

37th over: England 138-5 (Lawrence 29, Smith 0) Lawrence goes down the track to Mohammad Ali … and takes a ball in the ribs. He shrugs it off, but he may have to avoid coughing or laughing for the next fortnight. Ali's next ball beats Lawrence's defensive prod and raps Rizwan on the finger. Lawrence decides there's no point prodding. He goes down the track again twice more, first slog-slicing for four, then playing a cover mow for six! That's the first six of the match from anyone whose name is not Jofra.

36th over: England 128-5 (Lawrence 19, Smith 0) Here's Jamie Smith, who emerged from a bad patch to make 61 in the first innings, still the highest score in the match.

Abbas is sedate for a seam bowler, but now he produces a ball that fizzes like a fast leg-break. It's too good to bother Brook but a beast for Rizwan, who takes a nasty blow on the heel of his hand. (To add insult to injury, Dinesh Karthik comes up with some clips showing that Rizwan has been taking his eye off the ball at moments like this, whereas Jamie Smith and Tom Blundell have watched it into their gloves.) Brook, unruffled, sees a half-volley and strokes it past Abbas for four. But then Abbas and Rizwan strike back – some nip away from Abbas, a nick from Brook, and a fine reflex catch from Rizwan.

35th over: England 124-4 (Brook 30, Lawrence 19) Babar makes a bowling change – Khurram off, Mohammad Ali on. He's been pretty good here, removing Brook in the first innings and Joe Root in this one. But now he presents Brook with a freebie on his pads, duly flicked away for four. That takes England's lead past 300: it's 304, and may well be heading for 400.

34th over: England 119-4 (Brook 25, Lawrence 19) As Mohammad Abbas goes too full, Brook clips again, but only for a single. Abbas and Babar try to get the ball changed, without success. Ian Ward wonders if the ball has got wet and lost some of its ability to “bite into the surfaceâ€.

Abbas beats Lawrence with a length ball that holds its line outside off, then keeps him quiet with a couple more in the same postcode. That's the place to bowl to him, and the place most Test seamers bowl most of the time, which explains why he has largely struggled in Tests so far.

33rd over: England 118-4 (Brook 24, Lawrence 19) Brook, facing Khurram, is himself again, flicking a hard-run two and clipping a single. Lawrence again adds a four with a well-struck pull, followed by another with a well-timed push down the ground. Is this the real Dan Lawrence standing up?

32nd over: England 107-4 (Brook 21, Lawrence 11) Brook faces Mo Abbas, apparently for the first time today. With Rizwan standing up, Brook covers his stumps, risking that LBW, backing himself to connect with his whips and flicks to leg. His next run does come on the on side, but it's a mishit, an attempted cut that ends up as a thick inside edge.

31st over: England 106-4 (Brook 20, Lawrence 11) Khurram to Brook again, with Rizwan standing back: another appeal for LBW, not given, too high. Brook, raring to go on the attack, stands a yard outside his crease and takes another step forward as Khurram lets the ball go, but all this intent just brings him a single to fine leg. Lawrence too goes down the track and gets a single. Brook picks up the third single in a row. Khurram finds some swing, and then doesn't, which allows Lawrence to produce his signature dish, the clip to midwicket.

30th over: England 99-4 (Brook 18, Lawrence 6) Abbas resumes and Lawrence is happy to defend for now. On the England balcony, Joe Root looks on wearing a hoodie, alongside Sarah Taylor, who's in a training top and sunglasses.

The batters put in a slightly belated appearance. Nasser wonders if England will be more aggressive now and it'll be back to Bazball. For Brook and Lawrence, I'm not sure Bazball ever went away.

Still, Babar Azam has a smile on his face as he leads his team out again. “It feels like the umpires in this series in particular have been very keen to get on with the game,†says Nasser Hussain. “And the groundstaff … so fair play to them.â€

For England, 99-4 isn't great – but a lead of 279 is. Pakistan's scores in this series so far have been 171, 135 and 110. And the Lord's pitch, always tricky for batters these days, has now turned treacherous. When CricViz gives England an 84pc chance of a win, it may be erring on the side of understatement.

It has stopped raining, Nasser reports. The wind must have whisked that shower away.

A camera finds the flag of St George. It's swinging in the rain, so there must be a strong wind too.

That mini-session lasted 38 minutes and brought 18 runs, one wicket, some lavish movement and a bit of horribly uneven bounce. The man to go was Emilio Gay, undone by a grubber from Mohammad Abbas, for 31.

Mid-30th over: England 99-4 (Brook 18, Lawrence 6) Abbas continues, with Rizwan standing up to the stumps even though he took a blow on his shoulder a few minutes ago. Lawrence plays a push down the ground for two. And after a couple of dots, the umpires take the players off.

29th over: England 97-4 (Brook 18, Lawrence 4) This over is a collector's item: a maiden from Khurram to Brook. There's a ball that jags past the bat, far too good to take the edge, and another one, clearly going down the leg side, which raps Brook on the pad and somehow induces Babar Azam to go for a review.

“Rain imminent,†says Nasser.

Thanks Jim and afternoon everyone. Whether it's a good afternoon, we shall see!

27th over: England 97-4 (Brook 18, Lawrence 4) Brook whips a four past mid on and then drops to one knee to flash a drive past gully for another boundary. He gets two off the last ball into the leg side to make it ten off the over. England are going to chance their arm and it's not a bad option at all, especially for the patient (English) punters in the crowd.

Righto, Tim de Lisle is here to call the next passage of play before the rain comes back. Thanks for your company and rain delay fortitude. Goodbye!