ENG vs PAK, 2nd Test, Day 2 Review: England sailing towards a big first innings lead

In a bid to put the Pakistanis under more pressure, England batsmen made the most of the effort put in by their bowlers and have managed to generate a big lead in the first innings. It took a few bits and pieces contributions from the batsmen to help their side gain a 128-run lead at the end of day 2 and the Brits are inching closer towards equalizing in the series.

Dominic Bess who was sent in as a nightwatchman the other day stuck well in the middle with his skipper Joe Root. Bess, who registered a fifty in his Test debut a few days ago at the Lord’s, proved the cricketing fraternity that his knock was not just a passing shower. There was a shower at Leeds and it delayed the start of the day’s play consuming time equivalent to a session and a half.

To tackle this Pakistani bowling with such ease speaks a lot about the calibre of the youngster. Root fell after soon enough on the second day as Mohammad Amir induced an edge of the skipper’s willow. Root once again failed to convert a good start into a big one, which only increases the pressure that’s already high on him.

Dawid Malan then came in to join Bess and the duo surprisingly added a decent partnership. This was only adding to the frustration of the bowlers as despite bowling pretty well, they were not reaping the deserved rewards. It needed something special from the visitors to get back in the game and it was the teenage sensation once again doing the trick.

Little partnerships kept the scoreboard ticking

One notable feature of England’s innings was that there was no big individual knock nor a huge partnership. Similar was the case with Dawid Malan and Dominic Bess, who did their bit and then were dismissed. Bess fell agonizingly short of a fifty, falling for a well-compiled 49.

Jonny Bairstow then added another 21 runs in quick time alongside Jos Buttler, who too was not backing away from playing his shots. It’s an important Test match for Jos Buttler as he aims to consolidate his position in the middle order. Bairstow started on a promising note but then was dismissed by a peach from Faheem Ashraf.

With six wickets down, England were in a little trouble heading into the final 20 overs of the day. Pakistani bowlers had their eyes on the new ball and they clearly were gearing up for a grandstand finish. But Buttler and Chris Woakes batted sensibly and kept the bowlers on the backfoot.

Buttler, after getting off to a solid start, went a little nonchalant as Woakes struck a couple of boundaries. Just when the English fans expected these two players to stay till stumps, Woakes fell prey to Mohammad Abbas. This dismissal also marked the fifth catch of the innings for Sarfraz Ahmed, who has been brilliant behind the stumps.

Youngster Sam Curran, who will turn 20 tomorrow, managed to hang in there till the end with Buttler and helped his side cross the 300-run mark with a couple of boundaries. It was a mixed day for England, but they’d certainly be happier than the other side.

Brief Scores

Pakistan first innings: 174 all out in 48.1 overs (Shadab Khan 52; Stuart Broad 3/38, James Anderson 3/43)

England first innings: 302/7 in 96 overs (Alastair Cook 46, Joe Root 45, Dominic Bess 49; Mohammad Amir 2/64, Faheem Ashraf 2/43))

England lead by 128 runs in the first innings.