England clinch Test series against Pakistan
Mark Wood and Harry Brook starred and England clinch the three-match Test series against Pakistan on Monday.
The visitors claimed a 26-run victory in Multan Test to go 2-0 up in the series. Ollie Robinson removed Mohammad Ali (0) to seal the game.
Wood struck late in the first session to claim the prize wicket of Saud Shakeel, who fell just six runs short from him maiden Test ton. He also removed Mohammad Nawaz (45). He went on to claim the figures of four for 65 in the innings.
Resuming the innings from 198-4 on day four, the hosts suffered an early blow in the shape of Faheem Ashraf’s wicket. He only managed to add just seven runs to his overnight total. He was dismissed by Joe Root, who claimed his 50th Test wicket. He also became only the third player to score over 10,000 runs and claim 50 wickets in the longest format of the game.
At that stage, Nawaz and Shakeel made a brilliant 80-run stand to bring the Babar XI back in the game. Nawaz struck seven boundaries in his 45-run knock before he was dismissed by Mark Wood.
In the last over of the first session, England had a huge success in the shape of Saud Shakeel’s wicket. He scored 94 with the help of eight boundaries. He was too removed by Wood, who now has the figures of three for 44.
No team has ever successfully chased more than 314 in Pakistan, a target reached by the home team against Australia in Karachi in 1994.
Earlier, in reply to the 355-run target, the hosts went off to a solid start thanks to Mohammad Rizwan and Abdullah Shafique. Both openers scored 45 and 30 respectively. Rizwan was cleaned up when the game resumed after lunch courtesy of a brilliant out-swinging delivery from James Anderson.
Skipper Babar Azam (1) was undone by an in-swinger from Mark Wood. He tried to leave the ball, which pitched way outside off, but it rattled into the stumps.
Imam ul Haq, who was taken to the hospital for MRI scans after he felt unease in his right hamstring, came roaring back. He stuck seven boundaries for his fighting 60. Jack Leach ended his long resistance on the crease.
Spinner Abrar Ahmed took 11 wickets for 234 across the two innings as Pakistan bowled England out for 275. This was the second best figures by a Pakistan bowler on debut, behind Mohammad Zahid’s 11-130 against New Zealand in Rawalpindi 26 years ago.
England’s Harry Brook top-scored with 108. He smashed spinner Mohammad Nawaz for his 14th boundary to complete his second century of the series, having notched 153 runs in the first Test.
He also struck a six before being caught off spinner Zahid Mahmood, who took 3-52.
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