ENGLAND ON FIRE
Defeat Pakistan by an innings, level series
Leeds, June 3: England won their first Test match since September as they thrashed Pakistan by an innings and 55 runs in the second Test at Headingley on Sunday.
Victory, completed inside three days, saw England level the two- match series at 1- 1 after Pakistan won the first Test at Lord’s by nine wickets.
It was also England’s first victory in a Test match since they beat the West Indies at Lord’s in September last year, with the side having endured a winless run of six defeats in eight Tests coming into this fixture.
By sharing the spoils in this short campaign, England avoided a third successive series loss after reverses in Australia and New Zealand.
Jos Buttler’s blistering 80 not out on Sunday saw England to a total of 363 and commanding firstinnings lead of 189.
Pakistan then collapsed to 134, losing their last seven wickets for just 50 runs.
Stuart Broad took three for 28 and off- spinner Dominic Bess grabbed his first Test wickets in a return of three for 33.
England resumed Sunday on 302 for seven, with Buttler 44 not out and Sam Curran, unbeaten on 16. Curran, however, was out for 20 on his 20th birthday when he was well caught low down at second slip by Shafiq off man-of-the-series Mohammad Abbas, who took eight for 64 at Lord’s.
At this stage, no batsman in the innings had scored a fifty, although Bess had made a commendable 49 in his role as nightwatchman to follow a fifty on debut at Lord’s.
But tl er, dropped on four on Saturday when Hasan Ali failed to hold a routine chance at midwicket, soon altered that stat is- tic. He went to fifty in style with two boundaries in as many balls off Abbas — an extra- cover driven four followed by a hooked six. Buttler was missed in the deep by Usman Salahuddin on 66.