England’s already remote chance of turning the second Test around evaporated on a steamy Friday morning as they threw their bats around – literally, in one case – and their wickets away, allowing Noman Ali and Sajid Khan to bowl Pakistan to their first home Test win for 12 games and three and a half years.
If a successful run chase looked unlikely at the start of the day, with England’s openers already dismissed and 261 still required, it did not take long for it to slip beyond the realms of possibility altogether. In the end, England did not even get halfway to their target, with Noman taking eight second-innings wickets, including seven on a dizzying final morning, as the tourists were bowled out for 144. Pakistan won by 152, avoiding a dreaded series whitewash and setting up a series decider in Rawalpindi next week.
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