England pick up a big wicket before lunch as they whitewash against Pakistan 3-0

Ollie Robinson took Azhar Ali’s big wicket on the lunch point as England looked for an unprecedented 3-0 whitewash in Karachi.

Pakistan had rebounded to 117 for two, with Azhar – playing his 97th and final Test – on the verge of a bye fifty. But Robinson dug one in the side of the leg and Azhar got a gauntlet to a tumbling Ben Foakes.

The referees conferred and gave a soft signal that they were not going to fold – but it was clear to fellow TV player Marais Erasmus that the ball had entered Foake’s gloves cleanly and Azhar was on his way to the 45th, triggering the lunch break .

Ben Stokes congratulates Ollie Robinson after Azhar Ali’s wicket just before lunch

Pakistan rebounded to 117 for two before Robinson claimed an important wicket in Karachi

Until his death, Pakistan made steady progress on the first day of the third and final Test, ensuring that – for the first time in the series – the lunchtime score did not resemble a total one would more likely expect at tea.

At Rawalpindi and Multan, England had reached 174 without a loss and 180 for five after just one session. Here, in front of a disappointingly thin crowd, Pakistan was less gung-ho, although there were a few freebies as Leicestershire’s youthful leg spinner Rehan Ahmed survived five expensive overs on a surface that offered very little to anyone.

At the break, Babar Azam, who had won a good shot, was unbeaten with 30 balls from just 31.

To match Pakistan, they fought with more determination than ever in the series to avoid their first 3-0 win at home.

Pakistan’s batting was better than at any point in the series as they try to avoid a sweep

The early push came from Shan Masood, who played his first Test of the series and was no doubt delighted that England had rested Jimmy Anderson, who had always hounded him in the past.

Masood used his feet repeatedly on Jack Leach, the first English spinner to open bowling in the first innings of a Test since Jack White, a slow Somerset left-armer, 101 years ago.

Leach hit back and removed Abdullah Shafique lbw in the sixth over of the game with a ball that referee Joel Wilson agreed would have hit the stump of the leg.

And then he played his part on the field, judging well a catch on the fine leg after Masood failed to control a Paddling from Mark Wood, and went for 30.

That left Pakistan 46 two-two and in slight danger of forfeiting the advantage of batting first. But Robinson had left the field with an upset stomach after bowling three overs, and Azhar and Babar made themselves comfortable.

Jack Leach (third left) celebrates after taking the wicket from Abdullah Shafique

Ahmed stepped into attack after 16 overs but Azhar worked his second ball through the midwicket for two and then drew his third for four. The pattern was set: once or twice in a row, Ahmed ran a fraction and this veteran Pakistani couple would overwhelm him. At lunch he had numbers of 5-0-37-0.

Leach, meanwhile, has been replaced with an analysis of 11-1-51-1 – both sets of numbers demonstrating the unforgiving nature of the pitch.

But Robinson returned for a couple of overs before lunch, and with the eighth ball of his spell he strangled Azhar – a dismissal that nearly earned England bragging rights in session.