Arguably shot of the day from Babar Azam, who is oozing class here.

The Pakistan captain times a straight drive to perfection off Josh Tongue's first delivery and the ball whizzes past the stumps all along the carpet and to the boundary.

That made a lovely crisp sound off the bat.

Final ball of the over and Paul Reiffel does not inadvertent fielding at square leg to prevent a Shan Masood flick being worth anything more than a single.

England's man of the summer, Ollie Robinson, tossed the ball by Joe Root.

With Jordan Cox stood up his third delivery slips behind for four leg byes.

Cox whips off the bails to the final ball of the over but Shan Masood is in his ground.

Sir Alastair Cook
Ex-England captain on BBC Test Match Special

It's just been so easy for England in the five previous innings they've bowled against Pakistan. At some stage, they were going to have a partnership.

Ramiz Raja
Former Pakistan captain on Test Match Special

Image source, Reuters

It's an excellent start from Babar Azam really timing the ball beautifully. It's his kind of a pitch with a low bounce now and the balls have not really reared from that length also, so these are good batting conditions and he's off to a very, very good start.

Effortless from Babar Azam, who again flicks Josh Tongue square for a boundary.

Babar playing the percentages here - content to see out the next five balls without scoring.

Day four ticket holders will be feeling a little bit more optimistic as we head towards lunch.

Ramiz Raja
Former Pakistan captain on Test Match Special

Image source, Reuters

This is good from Shan Masood. Finding his mojo and very committed to the cause. He's playing with a lot of instincts and he's completely at ease. Now should be his time to go for that 100.

Giles and John - both of those get my approval.

Shan Masood fairly comfortable pulling anything short from Jofra Archer and whips the England quick square for another boundary early in the over.

Ramiz Raja
Former Pakistan captain on Test Match Special

Image source, Getty Images

Pakistan were pushed against the wall for quite a few days and they've finally realised that enough is enough. The pitch suits their batting style as well.

A flotilla of Freds, perhaps? This should be the bedrock of the live-text commentator's back catalogue.

I'll get my coat...

Josh Tongue tests Babar Azam's judgment outside off stump, but so far the Pakistan captain adeptly master the challenge.

Babar picks up four with another neat clip off his pads.

Ramiz Raja
Former Pakistan captain on Test Match Special

Shan Masood's a good player of the pull shot. He'll like a bit of pace at this stage. Hardly any sideways movement, good batting conditions. Batting in your 60s is what you want.

Image source, Getty Images

Wicket taken and Dan Lawrence is whipped out of the attack for Jofra Archer.

The England quick's second delivery disappears to the fence courtesy of a clinical pull from Shan Masood, who then repeats the trick off the final ball.

Meanwhile, in the Hollies, a group of around 50 or 60 people dressed as Fred Flintstone (not sure of the collective noun...) begin a meandering saunter around the steps of the stand.

Easier batting conditions so far today may force England to return to the short ball theory, something they've rarely had to use against Pakistan.

So far in this series just 27% of England's deliveries with the old ball (older than 30 overs) have been shorter than 8m - that figure was over 40% in every home series in the McCullum-Stokes era.

Today's statistics are being provided by CricViz's Kieran Parmley

Babar Azam is the new batter.

Josh Tongue strays on to his pads and the Pakistan skipper deftly clips him finely for four.

Tongue finishes the over with a peach of a delivery to Shan Masood which finds a bit of nibble to beat the left-hander's defensive prod and leaves him open-mouthed.

Jonathan Agnew
BBC Chief Cricket Commentator on Test Match Special

Image source, Getty Images

The batsman will consider himself unlucky to be caught down the legside like that. Umpire Reiffel clearly didn't hear it either.

Andy Zaltzman
Test Match Special statistician

The partnership between Shan Masood and Azan Awais was Pakistan's first hundred partnership of the series. It's only their third partnership over 40, their third partnership that's lasted more than 11 overs.

There have been 55 times in Test history teams have been 0-2 and it's only the fourth time that the third wicket has added a century partnership.

Dan Lawrence had a pretty good day with the bat yesterday but hasn't had much of an opportunity with the ball in the series so far having bowled just three overs.

He'll be delighted with that.

Jonathan Agnew
BBC Chief Cricket Commentator on Test Match Special

Joe Root saw it, Joe Root heard it and Joe Root reviewed it. England have their first their first wicket of the morning.

He's played well Azan Awais and he's shown some of his team-mates how to go about batting for his country.