Published: Oct 26, 2015, 07:02 PM (IST)
Edited: Oct 27, 2015, 08:56 AM (IST)
Pakistan registered a fine victory after a few hiccups in between on the final day of the 2nd Test against England at Dubai by 178 runs. England resisted tremendously but Yasir Shah provided the final breakthrough as he got the better of Adil Rashid to carry Pakistan over the line on the ultimate day. England’s lower-order put up a brave battle and made Pakistan earn a hard-fought victory. Rashid almost carried his team over the line with less than 7 overs left but fell prey to Yasir. Pakistan now lead the three-match series by 1-0 and a well deserved one after a dismal performance in the first Test at Abu Dhabi. LIVE CRICKET SCORECARD: Pakistan vs England 2015, 2nd Test at Dubai
England resumed batting in the morning session from their overnight score of 130 for 3. Joe Root and and Jonny Bairstow started off cautiously but floundered in the first session. Root was caught at first slip off Zulfiqar Babar, whereas Bairstow was cleaned up by Yasir. the innings. Jos Buttler didn’t manage to make an impact as Yasir got his wicket early on in the innings. At lunch, England were 187 for 6 with Ben Stokes and Adil Rashid out in the middle.At this stage, victory for Pakistan looked a cake walk as wickets were tumbling at regular intervals. LIVE CRICKET UPDATES: Pakistan vs England 2015, 2nd Test at Dubai, Day 5
Post-lunch, England lost Stokes after he put up a strong resistance along with Rashid and was disappointed when he nicked one to Misbah-ul-Haq off Imran Khan. Stuart Broad made a substantial contribution but runs didn’t matter for England at this juncture. He made a well played 30 before Wahab Riaz steamed in and cleaned his stumps with a lethal yorker. He was being continuously being tested by some short pitched deliveries by the steaming Wahab.
Mark Wood scored some runs at a brisk pace in the start of his innings and ensured England didn’t lose another wicket at tea. Post-tea the match looked evenly poised as both the batsmen were looking extremely comfortable and made batting look easy. But after facing 95 deliveries and have scored 29 runs, Wood got an edge off Babar straight into the hands of Mohammad Hafeez at slip. James Anderson walked in had a tough job of playing out almost 11 overs. But eventually Pakistan registered a much earned victory when Rashid threw the battle after a long fight. England will now look for some resurrection in the third and the final Test at Sharjah. The onus is on the visitors to make a comeback and square the three-match Test series at sharjah on November 1.
Brief scores:
Pakistan 354 for 6 decl (Younis Khan 118, Misbah-ul-Haq 87; James Anderson 2 for 22) and 378 won against England 312 all out (Joe Root 71, Adil Rashid 61; Yasir Shah 4 for 87) and 242 by 178 runs.
