England moved to the brink of a series victory on the second day of the second Test at Lord’s, as their seam bowling quartet once again dismantled the Pakistan lineup. The visitors, playing without the injured Imam-ul-Haq, were bowled out for just 110 runs, with Azan Awais providing the only notable resistance by scoring 46. Aside from Awais, no other batter managed to pass 20, leaving extras as the next highest contributor to the total.
Ollie Robinson spearheaded the attack, continuing his impressive comeback summer by claiming 4-11. He was complemented by Jofra Archer, who bowled with electrifying pace to finish with 3-26, while Josh Tongue and Gus Atkinson provided further support to overwhelm the opposition. This performance underscored the growing depth and optimism surrounding England’s current bowling unit.
Earlier in the day, England had managed to extend their first-innings total to 290, with Jamie Smith contributing 61 and Jordan Cox adding 55, despite Mohammad Abbas taking 4-73. This effort provided the hosts with a substantial 180-run lead heading into their second innings.
England’s second turn at the crease began shakily, with the hosts slipping to 13-2. A 47-run partnership between Emilio Gay and captain Joe Root helped stabilize the innings, though Root was eventually dismissed lbw by Mohammad Ali for 24—a recurring struggle for the team’s leading run-scorer against seam bowling.
Harry Brook survived a close call after successfully overturning an lbw decision on his first ball from Ali. By the close of play, England reached 81-3, extending their lead to 261 runs. Emilio Gay remained unbeaten on 30, looking to solidify his position in the side, though weather forecasts for Saturday may delay the hosts’ push for a final result. The report also notes that highlights: England enjoy another dominant day to close in on series win.
