The second Test between England and Pakistan at the Ageas Bowl in Southampton ended in an inevitable draw on Day 5 as rain had affected the match severely. England have a 1-0 lead before going into the final Test of three-match series.
England’s Zak Crawley scored a scored a half-century while Pakistan’s Mohammad Abbas took two wickets on Monday after only the third session’s play was possible.
Intermittent showers had been affecting the game since the Day 1. Major parts of the second day were also washed out before the third day’s play was abandoned completely without a ball being bowled. A very little cricket was possible on Day 4 as well.
Crawley scored 53 before Abbas trapped him in front while Dom Sibley managed 32 before he was caught behind by Mohammad Rizwan off Abbas.
When both sides shook hands, hosts’ skipper Joe Root (9 batting) and Jos Buttler (0 batting) were at the crease after Yasir Shah trapped Ollie Pope (9) in front.
Resuming at 223/9 on Day 4, Mohammad Rizwan top-scored for the tourists with a fighting 72 as Stuart Broad and James Anderson returned figures of 4/56 and 3/60, respectively, to bowl out Pakistan for 236.
England lost Rory Burns (0) in the first over itself as Shaheen Shah Afridi had the left hander caught at second slip by Asad Shafiq.
Only 5 overs were possible before the skies opened up again and early lunch was taken. On Day 2, England made quick work of the Pakistan tail after Babar Azam’s dismissal by getting rid of Yasir Shah and Shaheen Afridi in quick succession. However, Rizwan went on the counter after that and helped his team past the 200-run mark.
Brief scores: Pakistan 236 (Mohammad Rizwan 72, Abid Ali 60, Babar Azam 47; Stuart Broad 4/56, James Anderson 3/60) vs England 110/4 d (Zak Crawley 53, Mohammad Abbas 2/28). Match drawn.
With IANS inputs