The first signs things might change came deep into the afternoon session when Wahab Riaz, thundering down the Hove slope, started to drum a tattoo on the thigh of Harry Finch. Up to that point, the day had been dominated by the Sussex openers, who made light of a Pakistan pace attack battling among itself for first Test places.
Finch and Luke Wells had been together since the start of the day, rattling along at a merry rate, their opening partnership already worth 200. Hardly a delivery had gone past the bat, scarcely a sniff of a chance, save a howitzer of a drive drilled skimmingly low to short extra cover which all but removed the right hand of Misbah-ul-Haq; and an edge which bisected second and third slips. If they were not being humiliated, then Pakistan were being shown up by two batsmen one of whose natural ability, in the case of Wells, has not been matched by achievement, and the other who had never opened before.
After the first day’s play, Mickey Arthur, Pakistan’s new coach, had said that bowling places were up for grabs. The tyro Mohammad Amir has already staked his claim for a return to Lord’s and was resting up, while Wahab’s Test match capabilities are well known. So the third seamer, it was evident, would be one of the two Khans, Sohail or Imran. Neither had impressed, Sohail the burlier of the pair, Imran looking slightly awkward running up the hill. The batsmen were untroubled. Even Wahab appeared ordinary, treated at times with something bordering on disdain.
Perhaps there were some harsh words spoken in the Pakistan dressing room at lunchtime. Almost from the start of play, when Finch lambasted a short, wide delivery from Imran over point and into the members area in front of the old dressing rooms for six, the pair batted along as if this was white-ball cricket and the power play overs pertained.
By the time the 10th over was out, the board read 62 without loss. Wells, tall and left handed, used the angles off front and back foot to pierce the offside field square of the wicket either side of point, and swivel-pulled emphatically with a rifle crack that echoed from the flats surrounding the ground. Finch, the right hander, shorter and squat, has a pugnacious punchy drive and a willingness to attack the spinner. By lunch, both had half-centuries to their name.
The ball was getting older now though and Pakistan bowlers adept at seizing the opportunity it gives. Gradually they began to find some reverse swing. There was considerably more urgency in the bowling too, a yard or so of pace gained by all three seamers following the interval.
From nowhere, tellingly, Sohail, up the hill now, beat Wells three times in succession outside off stump. In the hospitality tents, people started to pay attention. Wahab was generating some real pace in his lengthy post-prandial spell, but the slope was sending him tumbling too far: no ball followed no ball.
Wells had looked cautiously set for a hundred when Wahab sent one on a length outside his off stump. The batsman had dispatched balls such as this all day but now there was half a bat of movement with which to contend. He swished, the ball took the edge and Sarfraz Ahmed completed the catch behind the stumps.
Wells dropped his head and trooped off, his 93, from 153 balls containing 17 fours. Ten minutes later and Finch’s sumptuous square drive off Wahab had taken him to his second, but by a distance most accomplished, first-class century, from 138 balls with 16 fours and three sixes.
Pakistan had the taste. Successive deliveries from the Sea End accounted for Matt Machan and Ben Brown so that for the first time in three decades Hove saw Imran Khan on a hat-trick: 212 without loss had become 233 for four. There were no more wickets for 58 more runs until Craig Cachopa was lbw to Zulfiqar Babar’s spin, whereupon the declaration came 72 runs behind at 291 for five. By the close Pakistan, in their second innings, had reached 71 for one.
