Mohammad Abbas etched his name onto the prestigious Lord’s honours boards on Sunday, claiming a five-wicket haul that restricted England to 208 in their second innings. Despite the 36-year-old seamer’s impressive figures of 5-57 from 22 overs, Pakistan now face a daunting 389-run target to avoid falling 2-0 behind in the three-match series.
To secure an improbable victory, the tourists must surpass the highest successful fourth-innings chase at the ‘Home of Cricket,’ which remains the West Indies’ 344-1 set in 1984. Pakistan’s recent form provides little optimism; they suffered an innings and 103-run defeat in the first Test at Headingley, where they were bowled out for 171 and 135. Their struggles continued in the first innings at Lord’s, where they were dismissed for 110, compounded by an injury to opener Imam-ul-Haq that prevented him from batting.
Abbas, who had previously recorded three four-wicket hauls in his career, including 4-73 in England’s first innings of 290, finally reached the milestone on the fourth morning. Resuming on 177-7, England saw Dan Lawrence—who had reached 50—dismissed quickly by a sharp delivery from Abbas. The veteran bowler then claimed his fifth wicket by inducing an edge from Robinson, which wicket-keeper Mohammad Rizwan caught cleanly behind the stumps.
The innings concluded when Pakistan captain Babar Azam produced a brilliant direct hit from the covers to run out Josh Tongue. Tongue had earlier struck two consecutive boundaries off Mohammad Ali, but his dismissal ended the resistance. Achieving a place on the Lord’s honours boards is a rare distinction, reserved for players who score a century or take at least five wickets in an innings or ten in a match, a feat Abbas has now rightfully earned. The report also notes that the highest fourth-innings total to win a Test at Lord’s is the West Indies’s 344-1 in 1984 that featured an unbeaten double century from Gordon Greenidge. The report also notes that cricketers who take at least five wickets in an innings or 10 in a match or score a century in a Test at Lord’s have their achievements recorded on one of the honours boards in the home and away dressing rooms at the ‘Ho. The report also notes that he wasted little time in reaching the landmark after England resumed on 177-7 under sunny skies, but having ended a third day cut short by rain and bad light with 3-48. The report also notes that dan Lawrence was exactly 50 not out to follow his comeback 51 in Leeds.
