KARACHI: England need 167 runs to win the third and final Test after dismissing Pakistan for 216 in their second innings on the third day in Karachi on Monday.

Teenage leg-spinner Rehan Ahmed finished with 5-48 and Jack Leach with 3-72 as Pakistan lost their last seven wickets for 52 on a spin-assisted National Stadium pitch.

For Pakistan, skipper Babar Azam scored 54 and Saud Shakeel 53.

If England win the match it will be the first time that Pakistan will be whitewashed 3-0 on their home grounds.

England won the first Test by 74 runs in Rawalpindi and the second in Multan by 26 runs.

Tea report

Teenage England leg-spinner Rehan Ahmed demolished Pakistan’s defences in the final Test in Karachi on Monday, leaving the hosts staring at their worst-ever series defeat on home soil.**

Ahmed bagged three wickets in four overs late into the second session on day three – starting with the key wicket of captain Babar Azam who hit a miscued pull shot straight into the hands of Ollie Pope at short midwicket.

His spell demolished Pakistan’s resistance after fellow spinner Jack Leach had taken out the top order in the space of six balls before lunch.

At tea, Pakistan were struggling at 177-6 with Agha Salman unbeaten on one and Faheem Ashraf yet to score.

Pakistan lead by 127 and will hope to at least double that lead to avoid a first-ever 3-0 whitewash at home.

England won the first Test by 74 runs in Rawalpindi and the second in Multan by 26 runs.

Ahmed, who became the youngest England Test player at 18 years and 126 days on Saturday, had surprisingly not bowled in the first session, which saw Pakistan reach 99-3.

He came on after Babar and Saud Shakeel had put on a valiant rebuilding effort.

The pair took Pakistan to 164 before the skipper made an uncharacteristic misjudgement, soon after he reached Test 1,000 runs for the year.

Leach had Pakistan reeling after he knocked over openers Shan Masood and Abdullah Shafique and veteran Azhar Ali, appearing in his last match, with only one run added.

Ahmed oversaw an equally brutal passage of play, removing Babar (54), Mohammad Rizwan (7) and Saud Shakeel (53) in the space of six overs for the addition of a paltry 13 runs.

Pakistan started the fourth day on nearly even footing, with openers Abdullah Shafique and Shan Masood looking set and erasing England’s 50-run lead without the loss of a wicket.

But any optimism was snatched away by England’s methodical spinners.

Leach bowled Shan – attempting an ill-advised reverse sweep – for 24 which brought down the first cluster of wickets.

The visitors had themselves overcome a slow first innings start to post 354 in reply to Pakistan’s first innings 304.

England recovered from 145-5 to end with a slight advantage, thanks to a third hundred in as many games from Harry Brook.

Azhar’s last stand

Earlier in the day, top-order stalwart Azhar Ali was denied a fairytale ending to his storied career that has spanned 97 Tests and 7,142 runs.

Azhar was beaten by spin as he played a forward push on the final ball of Leach’s momentum-changing double-wicket maiden. His stumps shattered, Azhar walked off the field for the last time, ending 12 years as a firs-team regular.

The England players clapped as Azhar trudged back to the dressing room, while Pakistan’s players raised their bats at the boundary for a ceremonial guard of honour.

Among the handful of spectators were Azhar’s wife and two sons.

“Azhar Ali’s time as a Test match cricketer has come to a close. It was a lovely bit of bowling from Jack Leach and all of England’s cricketers now just come to congratulate Azhar Ali on a Test match career that has ended on unfortunate circumstances,” English commentator Michael Atherton said when the former captain got out.

“He leaves without adding to his Test match tally. There are one or two great players who have done that down the years but it’s an unfortunate way for Azhar Ali to finish.”

Azhar, who was bowled by Leach on the fourth ball, got a good ovation from a small number of people on the ground from the England team as well as his own teammates, who gave him a guard of honour as he left the Test match arena as a batsman for the last time.

Pakistan started the fourth day on nearly even footing, with openers Abdullah Shafique and Shan Masood looking set and erasing England’s 50-run lead without the loss of a wicket.

But Leach bowled Shan – attempting an ill-advised reverse sweep – for 24 and then knocked over Azhar’s stumps four balls later.

On the first ball of his next over, Leach had Shafique lbw after the batsman misread a delivery that barely turned, leaving the hosts at 54-3.

Captain Babar Azam (13) and Saud Shakeel (28) resisted the English attack and steered their side through the rest of the first session.

But Pakistan will find a 49-run lead for the cost of three key wickets hard to digest over lunch, especially with a first-ever 3-0 whitewash at home still on the cards.

England won the first Test in Rawalpindi by 74 runs and a close-fought second match in Multan by 26.

Azhar was beaten by spin as he played a forward push on the final ball of Leach’s momentum-changing double-wicket maiden. His stumps shattered, Azhar walked off the field for the last time, ending a storied 12-year Test career.

The England players clapped as Azhar trudged back to the dressing room, while Pakistan’s players raised their bats at the boundary for a ceremonial guard of honour.

Among the handful of spectators were Azhar’s wife and two sons. The top-order mainstay has amassed 7,142 runs in 97 Tests.