DUBAI, (Reuters) – Pakistan overcame belligerent resistance from England’s tail-enders to win the second test by 178 runs yesterday after bowling out Alastair Cook’s men for 312 with just 6.3 overs remaining.
Victory put Pakistan 1-0 up in the three-game series and maintains their record of never having lost a series in their adopted home of the United Arab Emirates.
Starting the final day on 130 for three and chasing an unlikely 491 for victory, England slumped to 193 for seven after lunch.
Adil Rashid (61) and Stuart Broad (30) then added 60 in 90 balls before the latter was bowled by an inswinging Wahab Riaz yorker.
Undeterred, Rashid and Mark Wood (29) were adroit in defence as Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq switched between pace and spin to try to end their resistance.
His team’s appeals grew more desperate as the overs ticked by and the game entered the final hour with two wickets remaining.
Seven fielders crowded the batsmen and the pressure told when Wood edged Zulfiqar Babar’s turning ball to Mohammad Hafeez in the gully.
Five overs later Rashid was last man out, caught attempting a drive through the covers off Yasir Shah.
WAHAB THREAT
Earlier, Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow extended their overnight partnership, repelling the threat of paceman Wahab who had engineered England’s match-defining collapse in the first innings.
However, the England pair proved less able to deal with the spin of Zulfiqar (3-53) and Yasir (4-87).
Root (71) was first to fall after edging Zulfiqar to Younus Khan. The slip snaffled the ball a fraction above the turf to reduce England to 157 for four.
Misbah turned up the heat by positioning helmet-clad fielders at silly point and short-leg to accompany two slips.
Bairstow initially read the spin well, lurching forward to pad the ball away and getting on his heels to defend, before he was clean bowled for 22 by a Yasir googly.
Jos Buttler continued his poor form, edging Yasir to Younus at slip on seven, and Ben Stokes was removed for 13 when his wayward drive off paceman Imran Khan went to Misbah at slip.
That brought Rashid and Broad together and they scored freely.
Rashid brought up his maiden test half-century with a scrambled single but ultimately it proved in vain.
SCOREBOARD
Pakistan 1st innings 378 (Misbah-ul-Haq 102, A. Shafiq 83, Y. Khan 56, S. Masood 54) England 1st innings 242 (J. Root 88, A. Cook 65; W. Riaz 4-66, Y. Shah 4-93)
Pakistan 2nd innings 354 for 6 decl (Y. Khan 118, Misbah-ul-Haq 87, A. Shafiq 79, M. Hafeez 51)
England 2nd innings (Overnight: 130-3; Target: 491 runs)
A. Cook c Riaz b Shah 10
M. Ali c Y. Khan b I. Khan 1
I. Bell c Y. Khan b Babar 46
J. Root c Y. Khan b Babar 71
J. Bairstow b Shah 22
B. Stokes c Misbah-ul-Haq b I. Khan 13
J. Buttler c Y. Khan b Shah 7
A. Rashid c Babar b Shah 61
S. Broad b Riaz 30
M. Wood c Hafeez b Babar 29
J. Anderson not out 0
Extras (b-12 lb-4 nb-5 w-1) 22
Total (all out, 137.3 overs) 312
Fall of wickets: 1-9 M. Ali,2-19 A. Cook,3-121 I. Bell,4-157 J. Root,5-163 J. Bairstow,6-178 J. Buttler,7-193 B. Stokes,8-253 S. Broad,9-308 M. Wood,10-312 A. Rashid Bowling I. Khan 14 – 4 – 41 – 2(nb-1 w-1) W. Riaz 25 – 4 – 78 – 1(nb-4) Y. Shah 41.3 – 15 – 87 – 4 S. Malik 10 – 2 – 37 – 0 Z. Babar 47 – 23 – 53 – 3 Referees Umpire: Bruce Oxenford Umpire: Paul Reiffel TV umpire: Chris Gaffaney Match referee: Andy Pycroft Result: Pakistan won by 178 runs
Sharjah will host the final test from Nov. 1.
