Joe Root has returned to captaincy in some style, as England defeated Pakistan in the second test at Lord’s, ultimately wrapping up the three-match test series by a 2-0 margin. It was a comprehensive victory for Joe Root and his men, and the first series win since November 2024. Pakistan visited England after six years, and it was yet another disappointing result since winning its last test series in 1996. England won the second test by 194 runs.

Ever since the famous 1996 victory under Wasim Akram, Pakistan has always drawn the series in England. The recent test series was a humiliation, indeed and one of the lowest points in Pakistan test cricket. However, more than the result, what was even more shocking was the players’ lack of fight. Pakistan’s conscious batting reflected in their overall result and was highly visible. It was one of the reasons behind the lacklustre performance.

Weather and pitch

Pakistan won the toss and bowled first on a cloudy day. Unfortunately, the entire match was a stop and start due to the rain. The Pakistan bowlers made great use of the conditions, wobbling England early. England lost the top four batsmen inside 20 overs, and it just felt like Pakistan had started to own the first hour of play.

The Lord’s slope is a major obstacle for the fielding side because it naturally has to generate extra force while fielding, which exhausts the bowlers. The Lord’s is a historic ground, known as the home of cricket. Pakistan has won five Test matches so far at Lord’s, with its most recent victory in 2018.

Day 1: Strong start by Pak but Eng rebuild

The average first innings score at Lord’s in a Test match is around 310 to 315, and England made 290 in the first innings, giving themselves a slight psychological advantage. After being 120 for five in 31 overs, Jordan Cox and English wicketkeeper Jamie Smith shared a little partnership of 67 runs; meanwhile, Smith and Gus Atkinson further rubbed salt into the wounds.

Smith and Cox scored half-centuries apiece; Mohammad Abbas was the most threatening, picking up four wickets in the first innings and eight wickets in both innings. Mohammad Ali did support Abbas, but otherwise, it was a substandard bowling effort by Pakistan.

At Lunch on the first day, England racked up the runs after the early turbulence. Dan Lawrence and Cox’s valuable 40-run stand was a big plus. 56 overs were bowled on the first day, and England lost nine wickets at a score of 250. The first day was won by Pakistan, as after a forgetful bowling performance at Headingley, the team hit back harder.

Day 2: England Tail wags, indisciplined bowling by Pak

The Pakistan pacers had a falling graph of bowling because by the third session on first day the bowlers relied heavily on short and good length balls. 22 deliveries bowled were short of length and 30 deliveries were bowled at a good length, Mohammad Abbas bowled five no-balls in the first innings. The bowling has been an issue with Pakistan as it has bowled a total of 61 no-balls in test cricket since 2026 even in the second test, Pakistan gave 24 extra runs in the first innings. Mohammad Ali made an unwanted record of bowling six no-balls and a total of nine no-balls in both innings.

The second day started as England resumed on 248 for nine. Josh Tongue scored a nice boundary cashing on the full length of Mohammad Ali on the first ball of day two. Tongue and Atkinson frustrated the visitors adding a vital 42 for the last wicket. Gus Atkinson’s crucial 36-ball 45, supported by Josh Tongue’s 48-ball 30 down the order, squeezed the life out of the bowling attack. Pakistan dropped two catches in the first innings which was crucial.

The contribution from the tailenders propelled England’s score to 290 in 66 overs which was below par as per the stats but after looking at Pakistan’s bowling it was way above their reach. 290 on a pitch that was doing so much was difficult and for Pakistan more so because of the batting form the batsmen were in. Imam could not bat in the second innings due to an injury which added to the woes of the visitors.

Day 3: Robinson four-fer ensures England leads by 180

If England batted for 67 overs, Pakistan batted for only 37 overs. It was like a T20 batting where every batsmen failed to deal with the English bowlers. Azan Awais was the highest scorer for Pakistan with 46 runs from 102 balls. Awais showed some character compared to his teammates but overall, it was a below-par batting performance from Pakistan.

The weather played its part, as bad light forced the end of day on the second day. Pakistan was bowled out for 110 giving England 180 runs lead. England had the upper hand on third day with Ollie Robinson breaking the spine of Pakistan’s batting picking four wickets. Robinson bowled 13 overs that included six maiden overs, Jofra Archer lended equal support picking three wickets in 12 overs.

Robinson was all-over the Pakistan batting bowling in good areas and cramping them for room. He mixed his pace and lengths which troubled the batsmen. Bouncer, in-swing, length balls, he used all the trick in his arc as it felt like Pakistan surrendered. The batsmen had no answer at all to the pace of Robinson and the skills of Archer. Robinson and Archer delivered a masterclass in partnership bowling as both bowled combined 25 overs.

Day 4: Robinson leads Eng to victory, despite mini fight from Shakeel

The Third day’s play ended again on a sour note as rain forced the players to walk off with stumps being called. With England leading by 357 runs and Daniel Lawrence scoring his sixth half-century, Pakistan was once again miserable with the ball as it erred the basics. Due to the rain, the play on the third day started at 2.20 ie almost one hour before tea. On the fourth day England resumed play as Daniel Lawrence batting overnight, crunched the first boundary off Mohammad Abbas. Abbas bowled it short and wide, allowing Lawrence to rock back and cut the ball between point.

Ollie Robinson joined the fun as England’s lead went past 350. Pakistan did well to fold the English innings early on the fourth day but chasing 388 was beyond its hope. England was bailed out for 208 and  Mohammad Abbas starred yet again with a five-wicket haul but the damage had been done. Abbas thrives in English conditions and he has proven it time and again; He is the highest Asian wicket-taker in England with 17 wickets and the oldest bowler to take a five-wicket haul. In his early days he had great control over his seam with an average of 15.93.

There was a huge difference between the average batting innings of England and Pakistan. England combined both innings, batted for 121 overs but Pakistan’s both innings lasted only for 88 overs. Pakistan began the fourth innings chasing a mammoth 390 runs and it stumbled yet again with the top three batsmen having a brief stay at the crease. However, there was a glimmer of hope for Pakistan when Saud Shakeel and Shan Masood put a small fight stitching 92 for the fourth wicket. Shakeel missed out on a century scoring 97 and once he fell, Pakistan crumbled like a pack of cards.

It was Ollie Robinson again with a repeat performance from the first innings. He was the player of the match for record eight-wicket haul. England won the series with one match to go which is simply a formality now. Even if Pakistan wins the third test it would not mean anything more than a consolation win and England will aim to clean sweep Pakistan.

What Lies Ahead for England & Pakistan

Both teams are not in contention to qualify for the current WTC final so they will have to take guard again but there is plenty of positive for England. With a completely reset in the test set-up it has ticked many boxes with this series. It might be too early to say but England has found its pace attack for the next Ashes series. Brook and Cox topped the runs-chart, scoring 140 runs in the two tests meanwhile, Ollie Robinson leads the wicket column with 16 wickets in two games.

For Pakistan, this series and this tour in general has been one to forget. The series is already gone and it can only play for its pride now. A few positives for Pakistan from this series are Abbas’ performance and Saud Shakeel’s gritty knock. Azan Awais also showed a few signs, Abdullah Shafique and Ali Usman showed glimpses as well but overall Pakistan has much work to do.

Also Read: ENG vs PAK: Ollie Robinson’s 8-Wicket Haul Seals Series