England took command to break away from a poor run of form as they ended an eight-match winless run to decimate Pakistan by an innings and 55 runs in the 2nd and final Test at Headingley. Stuart Broad led the proceedings with a total of six wickets to turn the tides in England’s favour. England were ruthless and got the job done inside three days.
After the loss at Lord’s, England made sure they took charge of all departments as Pakistan fell short. England needed to come out firing at all cylinders in this game. They did precisely that and made sure they drew the 2-match series at 1-1. The positives for England were many and they will take them whole heartedly. They just looked like a team that had the bit between their teeth
After bowling England out for 363, the task for Pakistan was always going to be difficult and they faltered once again with the bat. They managed a paltry 134 runs with no show of composure from any of the batsmen. Although Pakistan will be happy with their bowling show, their batting was the serious letdown.
England will not play red-ball cricket until August and Pakistan don’t play another Test until December. Therefore, both teams will be trying to seek the maximum out from the series and took to build on in their next series. The unbeaten 80 from Jos Buttler off 101 balls gave England the cushion as the player built upon his form from the 11th edition of Indian Premier League.
Former players of both sides lauded the show by the hosts as they excelled in all facets of the game all along the match.
Here are five things we learned from the impeccable victory at Headingley by England.
- Double batting failure exposes Pakistan: The visitors could not stand strong and did not have any answer to the red ball that whisked past their bats. Most times the Pakistan batsmen were forced to play the good balls that did a lot in the overcast Headingley surface. Pakistan skipper Sarfraz Ahmed would be feeling that they should have bowled first after winning the toss as they had their batting exposed. 308 runs in two innings do not give any encouragement after the composure they had shown at Lord’s. The skipper himself had another twin failure and needs to get to the drawing board as quickly as possible. Their issue against the fuller deliveries needs to be worked upon.
- Pakistan will draw heart from their bowling:Â Pakistan gave it all they had with the bowling, particularly putting the scrambled seam ball to good use. They also managed to seam the old ball around even after 80 overs. Not much reverse, as the bowlers lacked the pace for it and the surface lacked the roughness. But the ball seamed around. Pakistan just didn’t have the luck to get the nicks. But they had enough to beat the bat. That’s where they will draw their heart from. The dropped catch of Jos Buttler would have hurt badly, but the overall shape was maintained by every bowler. Mohammad Amir and Faheem Ashraf need a special mention.
- Broad leads emphatic England bowling show: The English pace bowler was at his best in this match. After all the criticisms that came in his way, Broad stood up and bowled with a lot of energy and venom. He mixed his pace well and bowled with a plan. He could have ended with more wickets, but like Pakistan bowlers, he missed the edge at most times. Broad finished with match figures of 6/66 and after a stellar series against New Zealand, he stood to his task here too. Credit should also be given to James Anderson for using the new ball well and all-rounder Chris Woakes. Broad has proven for a long time he’s really good at this level. He just needs to keep using his drive and hunger to carry on.
- Dominic Bess a real find for the Englishmen: The Somerset youngster used the opportunity in his debut series to perfection. He scored a valuable 49 runs when England batted and followed it up with 3/33 with the ball. The 20-year-old is a real hand for England and could book his berth in the upcoming Test series against India. What looks promising for England is that Bess has shown signs of intent and went to the field with the idea of competing. He wasn’t afraid to show what he has got. Besides getting the runs, he had to pick wickets and he came strong in Pakistan’s second innings. He got the key wickets of Imam Ul-Haq (34) and debutant Usman Salahuddin (33).
- England catching a revelation The catch by Alastair Cook to dismiss Hasan Ali in Pakistan’s second innings, was the highlight of their overall slip fielding. The way Cook dived towards his left and picked a sharp catch was a pleasant sight. He also did really well to take a sharp catch of Shadab Khan. Joe Root to hold on to the final wicket after keeping his head position well. The moment of the match came when Bess took a blinder wide at mid-off. All the credit goes to Root in the first innings to stay strong as he pouched a catch over his head to dismiss Imam. From there on England held on to all the opportunities presented with Cook leading the way with three at slips.