Rawalpindi: England displayed yet another glimpse of their strategy of aggression in Test cricket, defeating Pakistan by 74 runs in the final session on the fifth and final day of the first cricket Test here on Monday. Pakistan needed 86 runs to win in the final session with five wickets in hand, but in front of the sharp bowling of James Anderson (4 for 36) and Ollie Robinson (4 for 50), they scored only 11 runs in the final session. Lost five wickets on the run and the whole team was reduced to 268 runs.
Left-handed batsman Saud Shakeel, making his debut for Pakistan, top-scored with 76 runs. Apart from this, Imam-ul-Haq (48), Mohammad Rizwan (46) and Azhar Ali (40) also played useful innings but could not win the team. In the final session, on the second ball of his second over, Robinson trapped Agha Salman (30) leg before to end his 61-run partnership with Azhar for the sixth wicket.
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Robinson gave the seventh blow to Pakistan in the next over by getting Azhar caught by Joe Root in the leg slip. Anderson then had Zahid Mahmood (01) caught behind and Haris Rauf (00) lbw a ball later. The pair of Naseem Shah (06) and Mohammad Ali (00) then kept the English bowlers bereft of success for 8.4 overs. Left-arm spinner Jack Leach (1/56) trapped Naseem lbw to seal the victory for England.
Pakistan started the day at 80 for two. In the sixth over of the day, Anderson had Imam caught by Pope on a delivery going out the leg side. Rizwan had to wait for 45 minutes to open the account. He opened the account on the 24th ball. Rizwan, however, then batted freely against the spinners as Pakistan added 89 runs in the morning session. Rizwan started off with two fours against off-spinner Will Jacks.
Shakeel hit a straight four off left-arm spinner Jack Leach to complete his first half-century in 104 balls. Azhar was given life by Pope in the last over before tea. Against Salman, who scored a half-century in the first innings, before tea, Robinson and Jack Leach made two credible appeals for lbw, but he survived.
Robinson dismissed Saud Shakeel (76) in the second session. The debutant batsman was caught brilliantly by Keaton Jennings at mid-on. England captain Ben Stokes had an aggressive fielding punishment throughout the innings. Just before the wicket of Shakeel, Anderson had Mohammad Rizwan (46) caught by Pope. (agency)