Pakistan’s bowlers wore down tough resistance from England’s tail to win the second Test by an emphatic 178-run margin in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, yesterday, taking a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.
Leg-spinner Yasir Shah (four for 87) and left-arm spinner Zulfiqar Babar (three for 53) shared the bowling honors as England, set a daunting 491-run target, were bowled out for 312 late on the fifth day with just 6.3 overs left in the match.
A win early in the day was very much on the cards, but England’s ninth-wicket pair of Adil Rashid (61) and Mark Wood (29) put up a valiant fight for 29.2 overs through their 55-run partnership.
Photo: Reuters
Babar ended Wood’s resistance, while Shah finished the match by ending Rashid’s 239-minute innings by having him caught in the covers in the fading light as the Pakistan players embraced each other.
Pakistan had sensed victory at lunch with just four wickets to take, but first Rashid and Stuart Broad frustrated them through their 60-run stand for the eighth wicket, then the Rashid-Wood stand lasted for nearly two-and-half hours.
Before tea, Wahab Riaz bowled Broad to bring Pakistan two wickets closer to the win, but Rashid and Wood carried England to 285-8 at tea with 31 overs remaining to bat for a draw.
Pakistan could have finished the game before the break, but Mohammad Hafeez dropped a regulation catch in the slips when Rashid edged a Shah delivery when on 42.
Rashid completed his maiden half-century soon after tea, pushing for a quick single off Raiz. It took him 110 balls of defiance to reach the mark, including five fours.
In all, Rashid batted for 172 balls for his 61, hitting seven fours.
England’s hopes of a fightback were pinned on Joe Root (71), who resumed cautiously on 59.
Root completed 3,000 Test runs when he reached 61 with a single off Riaz toward square-leg. He completed the milestone in his 34th Test and became the 41st English batsmen to score 3,000 or more runs in Test cricket.
However, Babar did not take long to dismiss Root with a sharp turner which took the edge of his bat toward the slips, where Younis Khan took a low catch.
Root hit six fours off 171 balls.
Jonny Bairstow, dropped on 11 off Babar, did not survive much longer as Shah bowled him through the gate with a sharp googly for 22 as England slumped to 163-5.
Jos Buttler survived for 26 deliveries before Shah had him caught by Younis in the slips for 7 as England went to lunch on 187-6.
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