Strauss sees England to easy win over Pak
Birmingham, England, Aug. 9: England captain Andrew Strauss survived being dropped three times to guide his team to a nine wicket win against Pakistan on the fourth day of the second Test at Edgbaston here on Monday.
England, set 118 to win, finished on 118/1 as they went an unbeatable 2-0 up in this four-match series with more than a day to spare.
Opening batsman Strauss and Jonathan Trott were both 53 not out, with England winning their sixth Test in a row.
“We had a few butterflies because we knew we had to work hard for a Test match win.
“It was a timely reminder for us that we have to work for a Test match win. All credit to Pakistan.”
England had made just seven when Alastair Cook was clean bowled by left-arm quick Mohammad Aamer after a full length delivery kept low.
England could then have been 17/2 when off-spinner Saaed Ajmal, with only his third ball, induced an edge from Strauss, playing a forcing shot, on 10.
But debutant wicketkeeper Zulqarnain Haider, brought in after Kamran Akmal missed several chances and bagged a pair in Pakistan’s 354-run first Test defeat at Trent Bridge, could not hold the tough catch with England then on 17/1.
Zulqarnain then failed to hold a simpler chance off a defensive edge from Strauss, on 38, with Ajmal again the unlucky bowler.
Strauss, was on 43 when Mohammad Asif, running back at mid-off, failed to hold a skyer off Shoaib Malik but England were almost home.
Trott went to his second fifty of the match with a cover-driven four off Malik that levelled the scores before Strauss’s inside-edged single off Ajmal ended the match.
Pakistan were earlier dismissed for 296, after resuming on 291/9, with Asif (14) caught in the gully by Kevin Pietersen off Stuart Broad.
Zulqarnain, in on a king pair, top-scored with 88.
Pakistan have a two-day match against Worcestershire starting on August 13 before the third Test gets underway at The Oval on August 18. — AFP
Scores: Pakistan 72 & 296 (Zulqarnain 88, Ajmal 50; Swann 6/65) lost to England 251 & 118/1 (Strauss 53 n.o., Trott 53 n.o.).
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