“We had an opportunity to win the series 3-1 but Pakistan bounced back well from Edgbaston and they deserved to win this test match”, England captain Alastair Cook said.
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The Pakistan veteran completely flipped the game on its head with an innings of pure class, control and concentration as he scored a huge 218 backed up by the in form Asad Shafiq who also scored a century.
“He’s not a Yasir Shah, and probably never will be”, he added in a reference to the Pakistan leg-spinner, who took 10 wickets in the tourists’ first Test win at Lord’s and five for 71 in England’s second innings across London at The Oval.
“The win was special, keeping in mind it was Independence Day”, Misbah told BBC Test Match Special.
Much of the talk before this final Test of a fluctuating Investec series was about England’s chances of moving to the top of the International Cricket Council rankings this summer. “I’m really proud of this team and I think that, if we can be No. 1 after all these results, then we really deserve that”, the Pakistan skipper said. “That’s why it (the double century) was on the right time”.
Pakistan retained the No.3 rank in Tests and would be more than pleased for their courageous performance in the Lions’ den, as not many could have predicted them to perform so well but they scripted 2 wins against all odds.
Pakistan were trailing the 4-match series 1-2 before the start of fourth clash.
“We had lost five wickets when I went out to bat”.
High on Cook’s list is a lack of runs from England’s top and middle order, which has often been bailed out by scores from lower-ranked batsmen. Though Wahab fell two balls later without addition – slightly fortuitously stumped off Jonny Bairstow’s kneeroll as the ball deflected back into the stumps – the arrival of Amir was Younis’s cue to go into overdrive.
Ballance, though, was out for 17 when, playing away from his body, he was caught behind off Sohail Khan.
England were 194 for six at lunch, still 20 behind, with Bairstow 70 not out. They are still behind by 126 runs to avoid a innings defeat with 6 wickets in hand.
Next ball, Bairstow chipped Riaz straight to Azhar in the covers to end a 127-ball innings featuring eight fours. The hosts were bowled out for a total of 253 runs in the 2nd innings.
The Yorkshireman top scored with 81, but apart from a last-wicket partnership of 32 between Finn and Anderson there was only going to be one conclusion – one which gives the selectors plenty to ponder.
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Younis received a standing ovation from the Oval crowd after batting for a gruelling seven-and-a-half hours, which included 31 fours and four sixes.
