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England v Pakistan, 2nd Test Day Four: Five Things We Learned

England v Pakistan, 2nd Test Day Four: Five Things We Learned

England level the series at Old Trafford with a comprehensive 330-run win over Pakistan. Here’s what we learned…

MAN OF THE MATCH - JOE ROOT

Who else. Really. Culpable at Lord’s with two dismissals that spoke of boredom and overconfidence, Root has spent the last week knuckling down and realising that, as the best batsman in the team, he has to apply himself accordingly. Of course, it is not all on him and Alastair Cook. Others need to step-up in the very near future. But something clicked in those nets prior to the first day at Old Trafford. He thinks he can get better and this is why we could be on the cusp of something truly special, because from his words and actions, it seems that Root is now very aware of how great he can be. And he wants to ensure that happens. It seems he now truly believes that he can be only of England and the game’s all-time greats. Typically, he came on to bowl today and, within two deliveries, removed Wahab Riaz. With that wicket, he joined teammate Ben Stokes as one of the eleven players to score 250-plus in an innings and take a wicket, in the same Test.

VINDICATED

Oh Trevor Bayliss. You could see the satisfaction dripping off him. Prior to England bowling out Pakistan in the first innings, there was a meeting between Alastair Cook, Stuart Broad, Paul Farbrace and Bayliss, presumably to decide upon the follow-on. In his post-match interview, after England had won with 116 overs to spare, Cook revealed his thinking: “I just thought a bit of time off for the bowlers. On that wicket, it wasn’t a minefield so I wanted them to rest-up and come in hard today. A couple of guys had come back from a lay-off.” Paul Farbrace backed up his captain, naturally, before throwing out a bit of shade: “There was a lot of time left in the game. And we didn’t have a tee time on the 5th day at 10 o'clock.” Zing.

ANOTHER STOKES NIGGLE

During his sixth over, Ben Stokes went down clutching his calf. It looked a bit more serious than cramp - a scan tomorrow will reveal what exactly is up and how long he could be out for - but with a week to go till the Edgbaston Test, there’s a chance he could make it. But given the amount of injuries he seems to have endured over his career, it might be worth giving as much time as possible given the workload in the winter and going into 2017. As far as replacements go, Steven Finn should probably be drafted in, allowing Chris Woakes and Moeen Ali to push up a batting spot. While Finn struggled early on at Lord’s, he grew into the match and, on Sunday, produced a thrilling spell against Kent in the Royal London Cup, bowling as quick as he has done all season.

FAITH IN ALI

“He’s short of confidence, but, gee, he’s working hard to get back to where he wants to be.” These were Bayliss’ words on Moeen Ali, who continues to hover along in his role as lead spinner. What comfort he could take from his batting is slowly dissipating as key situations do not seem to be presenting themselves to him. The two wickets today might have helped: while Younus Khan gifted him one with a hoik down the ground, the wicket of Hafeez - getting the ball to turn and bounce to take an edge onto pad for a simple catch for Gary Ballance -was a smart piece of spin bowling.

ANDERSON V MASOOD

Unlike Alien versus Predator, this isn’t quite a big screen blockbuster (nor was that, to be fair). There was an inevitability to it this morning, so much so that England fans are starting to feel sorry for Masood. The numbers tell the story: across six Tests, Masood has faced 57 balls from Anderson, scored 15 runs and been dismissed six times.