England assistant coach Paul Farbrace revealed the pitch condition was the reason behind no enforcing the follow-on, as England extended their control of the second Investec Test at Emirates Old Trafford.
Having bowled Pakistan out mid-way though the afternoon session for 198, with a lead of 391, captain Alastair Cook decided to bat again, to the surprise of some fans and members of the media.
But Farbrace explained the choice came down to when England would prefer to bat on the pitch.
“[We wanted to] bat while the wicket is still very good, and it is a very good pitch still. We were thinking we might as well get our runs now, rather that put ourselves under pressure if we had to bat again having bowled them out a second time,” Farbrace told Sky Sports after play.
“It’s a very simple plan and, of course, you understand, there are lots of opinions and you could have easily gone either way. But hopefully in the next two days we’ll be proven right.
“We’re in a great position and very much in the driving seat of this game. We’ve played excellent cricket for three days and certainly having bounced back from Lord’s, we’re pleased with the way we’ve gone.
“We just think that by keeping Pakistan under pressure and batting again, putting on a very big lead on the board, we really are in the best position. So there’s no point putting ourselves under pressure at any stage in the game that we’re dominating.
“I can easily understand people wanting us to go the other way. There was discussion. You’re going to live and die by the decisions you make. We think we’ve made the right decision and hopefully tomorrow that will be proved the right thing to have done.”
Asked whether the return of bowler James Anderson and all-rounder Ben Stokes to the team following injury had any impact on Cook’s choice, Farbrace dismissed the idea.
“Protecting Jimmy and Ben was not part of the follow-on decision,” Farbrace said. “As seen, they are both fully fit. It’s great having them back in the side, and at no stage was [not enforcing the follow-on] about looking after those two.”
England closed out the evening on 98-1, after going on and off the pitch three times in their second innings due to rain, with Cook one run shy of his half-century.
Fabrace added: “I’m really delighted with how things have gone so far. A few of the lads have spoken after the day’s play that there’s a lot of determination to prove that they are high quality players and that Lord’s was a blip.
“Obviously we were disappointed with Lord’s, it was a blip for us, we have been making progress. But I there’s a determination to put on a good show, play really well and make sure we get ourselves back into this series.
“With the wickets we’ve got in hand we can push on tomorrow morning. There’s still plenty of time in this game, 200 overs to be bowled, two good days and we can push on very quickly tomorrow morning and get a decent score. Then look to be bowling as soon as possible.”
England will host Pakistan on 4 September at The SSE SWALEC in the fifth and final match of the Royal London One-Day Series. Secure your seats here