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Pakistan square series with famous ten-wicket victory
- Updated: August 14, 2016
Pakistan 542 (Younis 218, Shafiq 109) and 42 for 0 (Azhar 30*, Aslam 12*) beat England 328 (Moeen 108, Sohail 5-68) and 253 (Bairstow 81, Yasir 5-71) by ten wickets Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
A typically erratic burst of brilliance from Wahab Riaz cracked England’s resistance on the fourth afternoon at the Kia Oval, as Pakistan finished their Test series in the same magnificent style with which they had begun it at Lord’s last month, by swarming to a famous series-levelling victory in the fourth and final Test against England.
Set 40 for victory after overcoming some stiff but ultimately futile resistance from England’s lower-middle order, Pakistan had recouped 16 of those before tea, before romping to a ten-wicket victory in the space of 20 minutes after the resumption, thanks to the efforts of Sami Aslam and Azhar Ali, to whom the honour of the winning hit, high into the pavilion, eventually fell.
England had resumed the contest with four wickets already squandered, and a stiff deficit of 126 runs still to be overcome, but they summoned the last vestiges of their intent and determination, largely thanks to Jonny Bairstow’s 81 from 127 balls, to stave off an innings defeat and extend the contest into the day’s final session.
However, after Pakistan had chiselled out two vital wickets in a nervy morning’s work, the return of Wahab’s fierce pace in the first hour after lunch was the moment at which all hope for England was blown away.
Wahab’s impact in his first spell had been tempered by the attentions of umpire Bruce Oxenford, who handed him his second warning for following through on the pitch. Given how futile his efforts have been to combat a series-long no-ball problem, Wahab’s expulsion from the attack was only ever a matter of time. And sure enough, his day’s work was brought to a premature end two balls into his 12th over when Oxenford handed him his third and final strike.
By then, however, the only two balls of his spell that really mattered had already come and gone. Charging in for his first over of the afternoon session with the sort of startling impact that only bowlers of genuine pace can create, Wahab got rid of each of England’s last two recognised batsmen, Bairstow and Chris Woakes, in consecutive deliveries to reduce England to 209 for 8.
The timing of his intervention was as shattering as the spell itself, coming as it did with England a mere five runs shy of parity, and with two in-form men at the crease who might well have backed themselves to eke out the sort of three-figured lead that could have put their opponents under pressure in the fourth innings. Instead, in the blink of an eye, England’s only remaining ambition was to avoid an innings defeat, which they …
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