Pakistan vs England: 3rd Test, Day 4 - England lose two early wickets in chase of 284

Mohammad Hafeez scored a vital 151 to help his side post a good total

Pakistan picked up two early wickets in the second innings as England finished Day Four on 46-2. Pakistan finished their second innings on a total of 355 as Mohammad Hafeez scored his eighth Test century finishing with a well-made 151.

England lost both Moeen Ali, and Ian Bell to Shoaib Malik as the Pakistani all-rounder is looking to leave Test cricket on a high after announcing his retirement from the format on Tuesday. Moeen was looking good and aggressive early on in his innings but failed to capitalise on his start after surviving a painful blow on the helmet.

Starting the day on 146-3, Pakistan lost Younis Khan early in the day. Misbah-ul-Haq and Hafeez were involved in a 93-run partnership to help extend Pakistan's lead. Wicketkeeper Sarfraz Ahmed scored a brisk 36 to keep the runs flowing.

English spinners were not able to cause much damage as five of the Pakistani wickets were picked up by James Anderson and Stuart Broad, with the spinners picking up only one each.

England have their most consistent batsmen in the crease in captain Alastair Cook and Joe Root. For England to avoid a loss in the final Test match and in turn the series, Cook and Root will have to be at their best and brave the Pakistani bowlers.

However, Pakistan's main bowling threat – Yasir Shah – has bowled only two overs in the 22 overs that England has faced. Shah will be a real threat on a day five pitch and will be hoping to continue his excellent form with the ball.

Interesting stats:

312 – England's highest fourth-innings total in a Test match in Asia, although it came in a losing cause. The English will need a similar batting performance to chase down Pakistan's total.

151 – Mohammad Hafeez's century was his highest score in the second innings of a Test.

50+ – Younis Khan has a batting average of above 50 in all four innings of Tests. Only two other batsmen have achieved the same feat – Don Bradman and Herbert Sutcliffe.

What a great test series #PakvEng has been. Two nail biting finishes in Abu Dhabi and Dubai. Promises to be even better in Sharjah tomorrow.

— Ashar Jawad (@AsharJawad) November 4, 2015

And so its all on the last day! Hopefully a partnership between the skip & Rooty and then take it from there. Game on #PakvEng

— Mark Ramprakash (@MarkRamprakash) November 4, 2015

Mohammad Hafeez last 12 months in Tests : Innings 17 Runs 1128 Average 75.20 #Cricket #PakvEng

— Ramiz Raja (@SirRamizRaja) November 4, 2015