Pakistan offpsinner Shoaib Malik struck twice in his farewell test and left England struggling at 46-2 Wednesday on the fourth day of the third and final test.
Malik (2-8) got Moeen Ali lbw for 22 and then clean bowled Ian Bell for a duck after Pakistan was dismissed for 355 to set up England with a tricky target of 284 for a series levelling victory.
England needs a further 238 runs on Thursday, but will face a stern test against the spinning trio of Malik, Yasir Shah and Zulfiqar Babar on a turning wicket. England has never successfully chased more than 209 runs in a test match in Asia.
England captain Alastair Cook was holding one end up with unbeaten 17 while Joe Root was not out on 6.
Malik announced his retirement from test cricket on Tuesday to focus on the 2019 World Cup after claiming his career-best 4-33 in England's first innings score of 306.
The off-spinner tied down Ali while bowling round the wicket before he got one straight enough to have the left-handed caught on the backfoot. Ali's series ended with only 84 runs in six innings.
Ali was struck on the back of the head by Wahab Riaz's bouncer in the second over and needed extra cushion from the dressing room to place inside his helmet before continuing.
Earlier, Mohammad Hafeez capitalized on two chances to score 151 with 15 fours and three sixes while Asad Shafiq made 46 before Pakistan was dismissed after tea.
Stuart Broad finished with 3-44 while James Anderson took 2-52.
England rued two crucial lapses to dismiss Hafeez, with the first coming before Pakistan had added to its overnight 146-3.
Hafeez went on to add 93 runs with captain Misbah-ul-Haq (38), and Anderson capped England's poor show on the field when he dropped Shafiq just before tea.
England had to wait until the fifth over with the second new ball after lunch to dislodge Misbah when Broad had the Pakistan captain trapped lbw.
Hafeez, who batted for 6 hours, 20 minutes, soon followed Misbah when he tried to loft off-spinner Ali over mid-on but was caught by Bell.
Hafeez survived a dramatic first three balls of the day from legspinner Rashid as England unsuccessfully went for an lbw review off the first delivery, which television replays appeared to show Adil had pitched outside the leg stump.
One ball later, wicketkeeper Jonny Bairstow, who also dropped Hafeez on Tuesday evening when the batsman was on 11, went the wrong way as Hafeez advanced outside his crease and missed the googly.
Another chance went by when Broad dropped a sharp return low catch after the fast bowler found a leading edge off Hafeez's bat when the Pakistan opener was on 113.
Anderson clean bowled Rahat Ali for a duck in the second over to give England an early breakthrough before Pakistan got valuable contributions to swell its lead.
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