LONDON : England moved to the brink of a series victory after bowling Pakistan out for 110 and building a 261-run lead on the second day of the second test at Lord’s on Friday.
England, who were 81-3 in their second innings when bad light ended play, are on course for their first home test series win in two years despite rain threatening to disrupt Saturday’s action.
Josh Tongue and Gus Atkinson had earlier added 47 for the final wicket to lift England to 290 in their first innings after Pakistan had reduced them to 120-5 on Thursday.
Pakistan’s weakened batting, without injured opener Imam-ul-Haq, was then dismantled by Ollie Robinson and Jofra Archer. Robinson claimed 4-11 from 13 overs, while Archer took 3-26 and regularly pushed the speed gun towards 95 mph.
Azan Awais top-scored for Pakistan with 46 but became Robinson’s fourth victim as the tourists suffered another collapse after posting 171 and 136 in the first test at Headingley.
England’s pace attack had earlier been frustrated by Tongue’s unbeaten 30 and Atkinson’s 45, but the hosts quickly regained control with the ball.
Pakistan did enjoy a brief spell of success in England’s second innings, with Khurram Shahzad dismissing Ben Duckett and Jordan Cox cheaply and Mohammad Ali removing captain Joe Root.
But Emilio Gay remained unbeaten on 30 when bad light brought an early end to proceedings.
“Each day it will be someone else’s turn,” Archer said of England’s pace attack. “When wickets do come, they come in buckets.”
England lead the three-test series 1-0.
