Just over 40 overs were possible on Friday, with the tourists' closing on 9-223 at the end of a painfully frustrating day.

England managed four wickets for 97 runs across three broken passages of play but spent more time holed up in the pavilion than advancing the game in the middle.

Pakistan, who had Rizwan's accomplished 60 not out to thank for keeping them in the match, were equally badly served by the circumstances as they would surely have fancied a long bowl at their opponents under overcast skies that rendered run-scoring a fraught mission.

As such it was umpires Michael Gough and Richard Kettleborough who found themselves caught in the crossfire, though the rancour was largely contained to social media given the lack of fans in attendance this summer.

Just 86 overs out of a scheduled 180 have been possible so far and the game will need to accelerate briskly to keep a disappointing draw at bay.

Having reduced Pakistan to 5-126 on day one, England were left kicking their heels until 12.30pm due to morning showers in Southampton.

That left an hour-long session to make up for lost time, with Babar Azam and Rizwan sent out under a blanket of dark clouds.

Survival was the best the batsmen could hope for and it was to their credit that they turned what seemed a thankless task into a minor success, stifling all four pacemen and adding 29 to the total.

England began the afternoon session knowing they might need something special to get the better of Babar and Broad was the man to produce it.

In his second over after the the restart he left his opponent no option but to play at a ball that pitched around middle before drifting away off the pitch and edged to Jos Buttler behind the stumps.

Yasir Shah's flat-footed swing gave James Anderson his third of the match and when Dom Sibley produced his second direct hit of the series to run out Shaheen Afridi for nought a swift decline seemed certain.

All that stood in the way was Rizwan, but that was more than enough. Having chiselled out 24 from his first 70 balls he scored 36 off his next 46 taking his knock to another level with inventive shot selection and well-judged flashes of aggression.

England lost their composure, too quickly adopting defensive fields and throwing too much variation as Rizwan guided his silent partner, Mohammad Abbas, to a 39-run stand.

The evening session comprised just nine balls and 10 minutes, long enough for Broad to trapped Abbas lbw for two

Australian Associated Press