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After Woakes wrecks Pakistan, England opt against follow-on
Captain Alastair Cook surprisingly didn’t force the follow-on, with England reaching 98-1 at stumps for an overall lead of 489 runs on a day when rain disrupted play four times.
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That gave Shah then-innings figures of one for 139 in 38.4 overs – a marked contrast to his man-of-the-match return of 10 for 141 during Pakistan’s 75-run win in the first Test at Lord’s last week.
The touring side, replying to England’s massive 589 for eight declared, resumed on 57 for four and James Anderson soon had Shan Masood caught at second slip by Joe Root for 39.
After putting on a 185-run stand for the second wicket with skipper Alastair Cook on the opening day, he further consolidated England’s position in the match with his show on Day 2.
Only two captains, since the end of the timeless Test era, have declined the follow-on option with bigger leads at their disposal – and each time Australia did not have cause for regret on their way to crushing wins in the whitewash Ashes series of 2006-07 and 2013-14.
Misbah (52) proved what might have been possible for his colleagues too as the ninth wicket realised the innings’ first and only half-century stand.
Woakes only got the chance to revive his Test career after fellow England all-rounder Ben Stokes, returning in this match, suffered a knee injury during the first Test against Sri Lanka at Headingley in May. Pakistan was now 71 for 5, its total at the rain break. James Anderson has a hold over Shan Masood after dismissing the opener four times in the UAE series a year ago and the inevitable fifth time arrived when he edged a climbing delivery to Root for 39.
Following a brief rain delay, Asad Shafiq (4) drove loosely at a slower ball from Stuart Broad and found Alex Hales at backward point, leaving Pakistan 76-6.
“It was quite simple, we might as well get our runs now while the pitch is good rather than put ourselves under pressure if we had to bat again having bowled them out a second time”.
The Pakistan bowler claimed his sixth wicket of the series as Hales got an inside edge, with wicketkeeper Sarfraz Ahmed taking the catch.
By contrast it took Misbah 47 balls to score the first boundary of his innings, a square-drive off Anderson.
Woakes tore once again through the Pakistani batting order as he took four scalps while Moeen Ali and Stokes pitched in with two wickets each to dismantle Pakistan and bowl them out for 198. Nightwatchman Rahat was caught at short leg via a Woakes bouncer, as Pakistan stumbled to the close.
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He and Hales took the score to 68 before the latter was caught behind off Mohammad Amir for 24 but it was irrelevant, really. Sarfraz’s 26 featured five fours but Pakistan were now 112 for 7.