It is the season of push-ups in Pakistani cricket. And they won't be swayed.
This time it was their right-arm pacer Sohail Khan who got into the act. Following in the footsteps of Misbah-ul-Haq and the entire team after their victory over England in the first Test at Lord's, Khan pulled off nine push-ups after a five-wicket haul on the first day of the third Test at Edgbaston.
As the Pakistan captain pointed out after his own push-up celebrations following his century at Lord's in the first Test, it was meant as a tribute to the army sergeants at Abbottabad where the Pakistani team had a military boot camp before the England tour.
It was a stirring comeback to Test cricket after five years for the 32-year-old. Khan, who comes from the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa region, was fiery and got sustained movement and bounce to nip out Alex Hales and Joe Root early.
Just when England thought that they had managed to contain the damage somewhat, it was Khan again who came back to snare James Vince and Jonny Bairstow in quick succession. He also took the last English wicket to fall, dismissing James Anderson to get a deserved five-wicket haul.
With the series tied at 1-1, it was an enthralling day's play and it looks set to be an intriguing Test match. Unfortunately for Indian viewers, they won't be able to watch it on television, seemingly because of broadcast Star Sports's "scheduling conflicts".
