Late show from Jos Buttler and Dom Bess won't be enough to save England from defeat against Pakistan

Pakistan have comprehensively outplayed their hosts at the home of cricket

Dom Bess and Jos Buttler gave England hope of survival, rather than victory (Getty)

When you get to the stage that you are relieved not lose a home Test inside three days you know things are desperate.

That, sadly, is the state of English Test cricket right now despite the fact Joe Root’s team managed to avoid complete and utter humiliation by dragging this match into a fourth day.

To lose is one thing – England got it down to a fine art over the winter when they did just that in five of their seven Tests in Australia and New Zealand.

But to lose a home Test in May – and to be outperformed so comprehensively with both bat and ball – is quite another.

Only twice before in 140 years of Test cricket have England lost a home Test as early as May.

However, a third appears likely after England closed day three here on 235-6, a lead of 56 and one which won’t worry Pakistan unduly when they go to bed tonight.

That the match is still going on is only thanks to a gutsy seventh-wicket stand of 125 between the recalled Jos Buttler and debutant Dom Bess.

Both posted unbeaten half-centuries to at least keep England’s slim hopes of a miraculous victory alive.

Dom Bess batted beautifully in the evening session (Getty)

Before the pair came together shortly before tea, England were wobbling on 110-6, still 69 runs behind Pakistan on first innings and looking likely to implode to an innings defeat on the day.

One partnership, though, cannot paper over the cracks that this fragile England team display.

This is, quite simply, a group of players in chaos. Shorn of confidence following a desperate winter, they have been ripe for the picking by a hungry and accomplished Pakistan team.

One running theme throughout the winter was Root’s inability to convert half-centuries. And he was at it again yesterday, composing yet another honourable but what appears futile score as his team subsided around him.

Pakistan dominated at Lord's on the third day (Getty)

Root’s score of 68 here was the eighth time he has passed fifty without converting in as many Tests.

The Yorkshireman’s last hundred came against West Indies at Edgbaston last August and overall he has only managed to convert two of 15 half-centuries since assuming the captaincy last summer.

England need their captain to lead from the front if they are to stand a chance of winning Tests. And as harsh as it sounds, at the moment he is letting his struggling team down.

Alastair Cook’s position for now is safe, after all he did make 70 in the first innings.

But his opening partner Mark Stoneman is less secure after another failure today put his place for next week’s second and final Test at Headingley in jeopardy.

Indeed, nobody in an England shirt has covered themselves in glory at Lord’s. Chris Woakes and Moeen Ali, both left out for this first Test of the summer, have suddenly become far better players these past few days.

When England turned up at Lord’s this morning, they required just one wicket to wrap up Pakistan’s first innings after confirmation overnight that Babar Azam has been ruled out of the rest of the tour with a broken wrist.

It came 4.3 overs into the day when Mohammad Abbas edged Mark Wood behind. Pakistan had added 13 runs to their overnight total of 350-8 to establish a first-innings lead of 179.

That raised the uncomfortable prospect for England of a three-day defeat given how brittle their batting line-up has been of late.

Those fears were raised when Cook was dismissed in the second over of the innings, the opener trapped lbw by Abbas.

Stoneman then departed for nine, bowled by leg-spinner Shadab Khan as Root’s men went into lunch on 37-2, still 142 runs in arrears.

Joe Root fell to Abbas on another disappointing day for his side (Getty)

With Root at the crease, though, England could dream of finding a way back into this match and there was the comforting sight of the captain posting yet another half-century midway through the session as the hosts saw their first-innings deficit creep below 100.

However, a double strike by Mohammad Amir inside three balls again lit up the possibility of a Pakistani victory inside three days.

Dawid Malan was the first two go, caught behind after a fine diving effort from Sarfraz Ahmed. Amir, wicketless until now, then produced the best delivery of the match, swinging in an unplayable delivery to Jonny Bairstow that smashed into off-stump and sent the No5 batsman back to the dressing-room for a duck.

England were now wobbling on 91-4, still 88 runs behind, and with Root now joined by Ben Stokes at the crease, this felt like the last partnership that could realistically deny the tourists victory.

England are destined for defeat at Lord's (Getty)

It lasted just 17 balls before Stokes was caught playing a terrible shot to midwicket off the bowling of Shadab, England now 104-5.

Worse was to come before tea when Root was trapped lbw for 68 by Abbas, his side heading into the interval six wickets down and still 68 runs behind. The only thing standing between England and yet more ignominy was the partnership between Buttler and Bess.

Buttler was a surprise pick for a recall after 18 months out of the team but he partly justified that call when he posted his seventh Test half-century, by this stage England’s lead 17.

That had crept up to 42 when Bess, showing great character in his first Test, reached his half-century.

Buttler was 34 runs shy of a maiden Test century by stumps. If he can get there tomorrow perhaps this game might get interesting?