RAWALPINDI: England stormed through Pakistan’s lower order, taking five wickets in a tense final session to seal a sensational 74-run win against Pakistan in their first Test in Pakistan after 17 years, here at Pindi Cricket Stadium on Monday.
The confident English side defended 343 runs in the last innings after captain Ben Stokes’s bold decision to declare their second turn on 264/7 on day four.
Pakistan, who scored 579 in their first innings in response to England’s record 657, were bowled out for 268 in their second effort, squandering a chance to take a 1-0 lead in the lead.
Pakistan resumed the play on the final day with an overnight score of 80/2 and were perfectly positioned to chase 263 remaining runs with eight wickets in hand, that too on a batting-friendly surface.
With the game swinging and swaying throughout the day, it was Ollie Robinson and veteran James Anderson who took two wickets each in the final session before Jack Leach booked the final one just minutes before the bad light could have spoiled the party for England.
Azhar Ali and Salman Agha stood together for fifty-one runs and survived the England bowlers for the most part in the afternoon session before Pakistan were derailed after the Tea interval.
Man of the match Ollie Robinson gave England the much-needed breakthrough just after the break when he plumbed Agha Salman, batting at 30 off 63 with an inswinging delivery.
Anderson then showed his brilliance when he clinched two quick wickets, trapping Azhar Ali (40) off the hip and straight to a perfectly placed leg slip before dismissing Zahid Mahmood cheaply.
Earlier Saud Shakeel and Mohammad Rizwan stitched together 87 runs and moved the scoreboard to 176/3 before Anderson found the edge of Rizwan’s bat when he was batting at 42.
Saud resisted a few more overs following Rizwan’s dismissal before he was removed by Ollie Robinson, drawing curtains on a daring knock of 159-ball 76.
England had early success in the morning when Anderson struck down opener Imam-ul-Haq, just two runs short of his fifty, before the wicket-keeper batter Mohammad Rizwan and Saud took the charge.
With Imam dismissed inside six overs on the final day, the fourth-wicket pair frustrated the English throughout the first session.
