Just Bowl To Pakistan’s Batters And You Will Enjoy A Wicket

Pakistan’s bowlers could hardly have asked for a better opportunity at Lord’s. Mohammad Abbas produced another outstanding spell, Mohammad Ali kept England under pressure and Pakistan eventually bowled the hosts out for 290. England had been reduced to 248 for nine before their last-wicket pair added 47, meaning Pakistan had still done enough with the ball to give their batters a genuine opportunity. Instead, they were bowled out for just 110, 180 runs behind, and their first innings once again exposed a batting unit that looks extremely vulnerable against disciplined seam bowling.

The collapse started almost immediately. Shan Masood lasted only 11 balls and made one before Jofra Archer found his edge behind. It was an excellent delivery from Archer, delivered at serious pace and in exactly the area where a Test opener has to make a decision between playing and leaving. Masood made the wrong one and Pakistan were five for one.

Abdullah Shafique was next. He spent 32 balls at the crease but managed only five before Josh Tongue found the edge and Jamie Smith completed the catch. Shafique had survived an lbw appeal earlier in the innings, but England continued to probe and eventually got their reward. Pakistan were 16 for two and the pressure was already building.

Then came the wicket Pakistan could least afford. Babar Azam, returning to the Test side, made only eight from 10 balls. Tongue again found the edge, with Jordan Cox taking the catch. Babar had struck two boundaries but never had the opportunity to settle, and Pakistan were suddenly 30 for three. The return of their most experienced batter had lasted just 10 balls.

Saud Shakeel tried to counter attack. He struck four boundaries in his 16 ball stay and looked intent on putting pressure back on the bowlers, but Ollie Robinson had other ideas. He trapped Shakeel lbw for 16, leaving Pakistan 63 for four. It was another example of Robinson's control. He did not need extravagant movement. He kept attacking the stumps and forcing Pakistan's batters to play.

Mohammad Rizwan then became another victim of Robinson. Pakistan's wicket keeper batter made seven from 20 balls before being trapped lbw. At 91 for five, Pakistan still had an opportunity to find one meaningful partnership, but that partnership never came. Instead, the wickets continued to arrive.

Ali Usman made only one from 13 balls before Archer dismissed him. Khurram Shahzad followed for one, edging Robinson to Harry Brook. Pakistan were 105 for seven and the innings was effectively collapsing around Azan Awais, who had been the only batter to show sustained resistance.

Awais deserves credit for his 46. He faced 102 balls, hit seven boundaries and spent considerably more time at the crease than any of Pakistan's other batters. His innings was not enough to save Pakistan, but it was evidence that England's attack could be resisted with patience and discipline. Unfortunately for Pakistan, nobody was able to stay with him for long enough. Awais eventually fell to Robinson for 46, leaving Pakistan 106 for eight.

The last two wickets were left to the bowlers. Mohammad Abbas made one and Mohammad Ali finished unbeaten on four, but Pakistan could add only four more runs before the innings ended at 110. Imam-ul-Haq did not bat because of the calf injury he suffered while fielding on the first day, meaning Pakistan effectively went into the innings without one of their recognised batters.

The scoreboard is brutal. Awais made 46, which means the other nine available batters contributed only 64 runs between them. Babar made eight, Rizwan seven, Shafique five, Masood one, Shakeel 16 and the lower order contributed very little. There was no fifty partnership, no substantial recovery and no period in which England's bowlers appeared to lose control of the innings.

And that is perhaps the most concerning part for Pakistan. England did not need to produce a oncei n a generation bowling performance. Ollie Robinson was outstanding, finishing with four wickets for only 10 runs from 12 overs. Archer took two, Josh Tongue two, while Gus Atkinson went wicketless. England's attack simply stayed disciplined and waited for Pakistan's batters to make mistakes.

The contrast with Pakistan's bowling makes the situation even more frustrating. Abbas took four wickets, Mohammad Ali three, while Khurram Shahzad and Ali Usman took one each as England were restricted to 290. Pakistan's bowlers had created the opportunity for their batting order to put England under pressure. Instead, the batting surrendered a 180-run first innings deficit.

There were problems throughout the order. Masood could not survive the new ball, Shafique could not build an innings, Babar could not make his return count, Shakeel's counterattack was short-lived and Rizwan could not provide the stability Pakistan needed. Awais was the only batter who genuinely fought for time, but even his 46 could not prevent another collapse.

This is where the wider series context becomes difficult to ignore. Pakistan were bowled out for 171 and 135 at Headingley, losing the first Test by an innings and 103 runs, with England's seamers taking all 20 wickets. At Lord’s, the same vulnerability has appeared again.

Test cricket in England demands patience. You cannot expect to score from every delivery, and you certainly cannot afford to treat every ball outside off stump as a scoring opportunity. Sometimes the most important shot is no shot at all. England understood that Pakistan's batters would eventually make mistakes if the pressure was maintained, and the scoreboard suggests they were right.

Pakistan's bowlers did their job at Lord’s. Their batters did not. At 110 all out, they trail England by 180 runs and have handed the hosts a significant advantage after having done so much good work with the ball.

For Pakistan, the harshest summary of this innings is also the simplest one: Just bowl to Pakistan’s batters, keep the pressure on and eventually you will enjoy a wicket. At Lord’s, England did exactly that.