England and Pakistan’s Lord’s Test may look like a frustrating failure to complete a comeback if viewed only through the final chase.
But Pakistan failed to reach 200 in either innings, and England did not let that opening slip.
The 194-run victory and Mohammad Abbas’s 9 wickets were different conclusions drawn from the same match.
3-Line Summary
1. England defeated Pakistan by 194 runs
2. Pakistan finished on 194 in pursuit of 389
3. The series became a 2-0 lead for England
194 Runs Short of the 389-Run Target
England defeated Pakistan by 194 runs in the second test at Lord’s Cricket Ground. The three-match series record became 2-0. Regardless of the final match’s result, Pakistan could no longer make the series level, confirming England’s dominance.
Pakistan’s target in its final innings was 389 runs. However, the match ended on the fourth day when Pakistan was all out for 194. The chase wavered from the start. At 14 runs, it lost the wickets of Azan Awais, Abdullah Shafique, and Babar Azam. Babar departed after scoring 6 runs off 8 balls.
After that, Saud Shakeel and Shan Masood steadied the innings by adding 97 runs for the fourth wicket. Shakeel reached his half-century off 54 balls and, adding 13 fours and 2 sixes, went on to 97 runs. He was caught at deep square leg after hitting a short ball from Josh Tongue and fell short of 100.
Pakistan’s first innings score was 110 runs. England scored 290 in the first innings and 208 in the second. In the first innings, Jamie Smith scored 61 and Jordan Cox scored 55, while Dan Lawrence made 54 in the second innings. The target of 389 was not a number created by a single-innings chase; it was the gap built by the two teams across the preceding innings.
Robinson’s 4 Wickets for 24 Runs Halted the Chase
England’s Ollie Robinson took 4 wickets for 24 runs in Pakistan’s second innings. He had also taken 4 wickets in the first innings, giving him 8 wickets in the match and earning him Player of the Match honors. Jofra Archer added 2 wickets in the second innings, while Josh Tongue took 3.
Shakeel and Masood’s 97-run partnership gave the chase a moment of hope, but Pakistan could not maintain a batting lineup capable of pursuing 389 to the end. Its first-innings score of 110 and second-innings score of 194 were Pakistan’s two totals in this match. The fact that both innings were under 200 runs remained the most direct difference between victory and defeat.
Pakistan has yet to score 200 in an innings in this series. Including the first test in Leeds, all four consecutive innings ended below 200. Dainik Bhaskar reported that this was the second such instance in Pakistan’s test history.
The defeat at Lord’s was also Pakistan’s first test loss there since 2010. Pakistan recorded consecutive test victories at Lord’s in 2016 and 2018. England, by contrast, extended its winning streak at Lord’s to 5 tests; its previous defeat there came against Australia in the 2023 Ashes.
Abbas’s 9 Wickets Remained Despite the Defeat
Pakistan fast bowler Mohammad Abbas took 4 wickets in the first innings and 5 wickets for 57 runs in the second. His match figures were 9 wickets for 130 runs. Although his team lost, Abbas became the seventh Pakistan bowler to take 5 wickets in an innings of a Lord’s Test.
Abbas achieved the feat at the age of 36 years and 173 days, becoming the oldest Asian bowler to take 5 wickets in an innings at a Lord’s Test. According to a Dainik Bhaskar report, he surpassed the record set by Vinoo Mankad in 1952. Mankad was 35 years and 71 days old at the time.
Navbharat Times reported that Abbas surpassed Waqar Younis’s record of 8 wickets for 154 runs in 1996 to become the Pakistan fast bowler with the most wickets in a single test at Lord’s. Abbas took 17 wickets across two Lord’s Tests and four innings. That figure equals Waqar’s career total of wickets at Lord’s.
Pakistan opening batter Imam-ul-Haq injured his left calf while fielding on the first day and was unable to bat in this match. Tests confirmed a minor calf muscle injury, and England won after taking only 18 wickets, rather than Pakistan’s 20.
The third and final test is scheduled for September 9 at Edgbaston Cricket Ground in Birmingham. For England, it is the final match with a 2-0 lead; for Pakistan, it is a chance to break its run of four consecutive innings below 200.
References
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