England vs Pakistan 2nd Test Full Commentary

We are back with Pakistan's reply. Azan Awais is out in the middle along with Shan Masood at the top to open for Pakistan since Imam-ul-Haq is not available due to an injury. Ollie Robinson will be bowling the first over for England. Shan will take strike.

... SECOND INNINGS ...

Pakistan fight back to seal late demolition - The final session of the day belonged entirely to Pakistan, who turned up the heat just when the game seemed to be slipping away. Triggering a sensational batting collapse, the tourists restricted England from a comfortable 180 for 4 to 243 for 9. A gritty last-wicket partnership of 47 runs between Gus Atkinson and Josh Tongue frustrated the Pakistani's on the morning of Day 2 as England ended up posting 290 on the board. The seam attack was led beautifully by Mohammad Abbas, who took 4 and Mohammad Ali, who picked up three wickets, while Khurram Shahzad and Ali Usman chipped in with a crucial breakthrough to completely cap off a dominant bowling display.

Cox and Smith lead post-Lunch resistance - The rescue mission arrived in the form of Jordan Cox and Jamie Smith, who put together a magnificent middle-order partnership. The duo displayed exceptional grit and determination, completely blunting Pakistan's momentum to guide England through the entire post-Lunch session without losing a single wicket. Smith emerged as the top-scorer of the innings with a fluent 61, while Cox played a brilliant supporting hand of 55. However, after promising a massive total, Cox ultimately went into a defensive shell, a tactical shift that cost him his rhythm and his prized wicket.

Top-order collapse but a wagging tail - After being asked to bat first under challenging conditions, England endured a disastrous start to their first innings at Lord's. Pakistan's disciplined bowling attack exploited the early moisture to rip through the top order, systematically dismantling the hosts' prominent batters. England collapsed to a precarious 70 for 4, putting the visitors firmly in the driver's seat and leaving the home side in desperate need of a rescue act.

Ali Usman is brought into the attack.

This is the best score in an innings by Josh Tongue in Test cricket. His previous best was 19.

We are back for the final session! Ben Duckett and Emilio Gay are the two openers for England, walking out with the sun shining brightly. Pakistan players take up their respective field positions. Mohammad Abbas has the new ball in his hand and is raring to go. Here we go...

... DAY 2, SESSION 3 ...

England hold all the cards - England were absolutely relentless with the ball from the outset, with all four pacers maintaining excellent discipline and giving Pakistan’s batters little room to breathe. Ollie Robinson led the way with a four-wicket haul, while Archer claimed three and could easily have had more after repeatedly beating the edge. Fittingly, it was Archer who wrapped up the innings, with Josh Tongue also picking up a couple. With a massive lead in hand, England will now look to bat Pakistan out of the contest, while the visitors will hope their bowlers can produce something special and keep them alive. Join us at 3.41 pm for the last session.

Imam-ul-Haq is unfit to take any more part in the match and is given as absent hurt.

3.21 pm GMT - TEA, DAY 2! With that wicket, the umpires have decided to take Early Tea here. Pakistan have crumbled with the bat once again, conceding a sizeable first-innings lead of 180 runs despite the return of their premier batter Babar Azam. The only real bright spot was youngster Azan Awais, who showed plenty of grit against a relentless pace attack. He rode his luck at times, but battled hard for a gritty 43 off 91. Saud Shakeel’s 16 was the next-best score, underlining just how poor Pakistan’s batting effort was, with no other batter managing double figures. Imam-ul-Haq’s calf injury only added to their woes, as he never came out to bat, leaving Pakistan desperately short of resistance.

Mohammad Ali, by the looks of it, might be the last batter in for Pakistan. The on-air commentator confirms that Imam-ul-Haq will not walk out to bat.

Mohammad Abbas is in at 9, still no sight of Imam-ul-Haq.

A good battle it has been all along between Jofra Archer and Azan Awais.

We are back for the all-important run chase. The umpires are out in the middle and so are the players of England. Azan Awais will open the innings for Pakistan, with former skipper Shan Masood alongside him, given Imam-ul-Haq's absence. Ollie Robinson is all set to start proceedings with the ball. Let's go...

... FOURTH INNINGS ...

A tough challenge awaits Pakistan - In the passage of play we had this morning, we did not see any evidence of the uneven bounce, but there was still enough in the surface to keep the pacers interested even with the older ball. England’s four-pronged pace attack will relish the prospect of bowling in these conditions. The Asian side has not yet reached 175 in any of their three innings in the series so far, while the longest they have batted is 48.1 overs. The numbers make for grim reading, but Pakistan will have to show plenty of resolve with the bat if they are to even take this game into Day 5.

Building on the lead - 31 runs added to the overnight score by England, and while they would have loved to go past 400, this is already a daunting total for a side that has struggled right through with the bat this series. 4 of England’s top 6 got starts, but only Dan Lawrence was able to convert his into a fifty, his second successive fifty-plus score since making a return to the Test side. One of the stories of the innings was Joe Root once again being trapped in front of the stumps, which has become a pattern for the great man and one he has not quite found a fix for yet.

First job done - 40 minutes is all it took Pakistan this morning to wrap up the remaining three wickets, leaving them needing 389 for the win. There have not been too many highlights for Pakistan on this tour, but Mohammad Abbas getting his name on the honours board is certainly one of them. He is a bowler who goes under the radar when the world’s best are discussed, but this is a timely reminder of the quality and skill he possesses.

Mohammad Rizwan moves back to the normal standing position.

Mohammad Rizwan goes back to his usual position for the last ball.

A richly deserved reward for a skilful bowler. Josh Tongue is the last man in.

Into the final stretch - Righto, the series is done and dusted in terms of who wins and who loses, but there's plenty of cricket left to be played. England head into the third and final Test of the series having taken a 2-0 lead, and it's a big win for the new captain and coach duo of Joe Root and Stephen Fleming. For Pakistan, the final Test brings an opportunity to tweak a few things and get a good gauge of their best Playing XI, and they do need that batting lineup to settle down. The third Test between England and Pakistan will be played at Edgbaston, Birmingham, and will start on Wednesday, September 9 at 10 am GMT. You can join us sooner for the build-up as usual too. So, there's a bit of a long break, allowing both sides to recover and maybe even think about utilizing their bench strength. For now, it's goodbye from us. ADIOS! TAKE CARE!

The victorious skipper of England - Joe Root says that it feels good to win the series, and the guys played really good cricket. He reckons that the bowling group was brilliant and Robinson was the standout. When asked about the conditions, he says that the surface was a bit tricky and they adapted to it really well. Moving to the final test, he says that they will keep evolving and try to win the last game as well.

Let's now hear from Pakistan's skipper - Babar Azam says that they opted to bowl first and utilize the conditions, which they did, but the opposition managed to get to 290. He feels that they weren't up to the mark with the bat in the first innings. Lauds Abbas for his five-wicket haul and mentions that their batting suffered a similar fate in the second innings as well, but credits Saud Shakeel for his knock. Goes on to say that they need to be better in building partnerships, be it with bat or ball, and ends by saying that they need to improve overall and go again in the final Test match.

Player of the Match - For his match figures of 8/35, Ollie Robinson has been given the accolade. Robinson says that the deck was a bit slow, but it was a great one overall. When asked about his form, he says that he has been improving his skills, and he kept building the pressure, and that worked well for him. He reckons that he keeps on bowling slower balls from one end, and Jofra and the other bowlers keep things pacey from the other end.

The Presentation ceremony...

Shakeel's antics not enough to save Pakistan's blushes - Pakistan’s steep chase began on the back foot as Robinson and Archer quickly reduced them to 14/3. Saud Shakeel then led a determined fightback alongside Shan Masood, putting together a 97-run partnership to steady the ship. Robinson returned to dismiss Masood and Mohammad Rizwan in quick succession, but Shakeel held firm with an unbeaten 78 alongside Ali Usman to take Pakistan to 140/5 by Tea on Day 4, still needing 249 runs to win. The final session began with Shakeel breathing fire and he quickly raced into the 90s on the back of a few eye-catching hits. Meanwhile, Usman got out, and then Shakeel fell on 97 as he looked to bring up his century in style. There wasn't much resistance after that as Pakistan were bowled out for 194, losing by 194 runs as well.

Abbas' legend grows at Lord's - Looking to build an insurmountable lead, England were met with fierce resistance from Mohammad Abbas, who claimed a brilliant five-wicket haul at the Home of Cricket, making it a total of 17 wickets in just 2 matches at the venue. Dan Lawrence stood tall amidst the wickets and rain interruptions to notch a crucial half-century, ensuring England reached 208 before being bowled out. With a substantial lead from the first innings, England set Pakistan a daunting fourth-innings target of 389 runs.

Robinson and co rout Pakistan - Pakistan's reply unraveled in rapid fashion as England's pace attack ran riot in helpful conditions. Ollie Robinson bowled a sensational spell, taking four wickets for just 11 runs in 13 overs, while Jofra Archer provided fiery support with three scalps. Only Azan Awais showed fight with a gritty 46, and with an injured Imam-ul-Haq unable to bat, the visitors crumbled to 110 all out, handing England a massive 180-run first-innings lead.

England's tail wags to 290 - Pakistan opted to bowl first, and Mohammad Abbas immediately set the tone by tearing through England's top order with the new ball. Jordan Cox and Jamie Smith rescued the hosts with solid half-centuries, but Pakistan fought back in the evening to trigger another collapse. Just when England looked set to fold cheaply, the final pair of Gus Atkinson and Josh Tongue launched a frustrating 47-run counterattack, lifting their side to a competitive 290, especially on this surface.

England seal the series win - Imam-ul-Haq is suffering a calf injury and won't be back out to bat, which means the game is all over. England take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series, and finally manage a Test series win for the first time since late 2024, and they have completely outplayed Pakistan at Lord's. We have had so much rain around, which extended the game into the final session on Day 4, but after Pakistan were bundled out for 110 in their first innings, England always seemed a session or two away from victory.

Imam-ul-Haq is unfit to take any more part in the match and is given as absent hurt.

Mohammad Ali is the last batter in for Pakistan as Imam-ul-Haq won't come to bat.