Pakistan brought to an end a thrilling second Test match, as England failed to see off the final six overs remaining in the day to lose by 178 runs and go down 1-0 in the three-match Test series.
It was mission survival from ball one of the fifth day in Dubai, as Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow strode out with seven wickets in hand. However, it was the heroics of Adil Rashid and Mark Wood that almost earned England a draw, as the tail broke the record for the most balls faced in the fourth innings of a Test match. Yasir Shah proved the match-winner in the end, taking the final wicket to walk away with eight wickets in the match.
England went into the day on 130-3 with nothing but a draw in their sights, and Root and Bairstow did well for a while, but Root edged one to Younis Khan on 71 – the third of his four catches in the innings – to end the Yorkshireman’s stubborn resistance.
It appeared as if the match was going to finish early as Pakistan’s spin duo of Shah and Zulfiqar Babar continued to rip into England’s soft middle order. Bairstow fell soon after Root, while Ben Stokes and Jos Buttler only contributed 13 and 7 respectively.
Adil Rashid and Stuart Broad then handed England a glimmer of hope, and the glimmer of hope turned into a realistic chance as they put on a 60-run stand. Wahab Riaz, who troubled Broad throughout, would finally get his man with the tea break approaching.
Rashid and Wood faced the daunting task of surviving the final session, and as each over went by, their chances increased, with Wood looking particularly comfortable for a No 10. Rashid went past 50, and so did their partnership.
Then the lethal blow. Wood gloved one to walk gingerly back to the hut for a courageous 29. Jimmy Anderson and Rashid had 11 overs left to see out the draw, but with six and a half overs remaining, Rashid needlessly flashed at one, hitting it straight to cover, signalling the end of the match. Pakistan were deserved victors in the end, to go one up with one Sharjah contest left to play.
Picture: Reuters
