ENG vs PAK | James Anderson creates history as Pakistan survive rain-marred Day 5
James Anderson becoming the first pacer in Test history to pick 600 Test wickets was the only highlight on Day 5 as England and Pakistan played out a dull draw on a rain-marred final day. Needing 8 wickets to win, the hosts managed to pick just two, but walked away with a 1-0 series win.
Heavy morning rains and an extremely damp and wet outfield, which had puddles aplenty, threatened complete abandonment of Day 5 but after multiple inspections and some extraordinary work from the ground staff, play finally resumed at the Ageas Bowl at 4:15 PM local time. There were not too many smiles in the Pakistan camp, but the home side, on the contrary, were buzzing to take to the field for two reasons - one, they were the only side with a chance of victory and two, it gave their greatest of all time Jimmy Anderson, who was stranded on 599 Test wickets, a chance to become the first pacer to enter the 600 club.
Starting the day on 100/2, it was skipper Azhar Ali, unbeaten on 29*, who took strike for the visitors. There were clear indications on Day 4 that the pitch had flattened out to the extent where there was nothing for the bowlers and the very first over of Day 5, bowled by Jofra Archer, reaffirmed the same. With heavy winds blowing against him, Archer delivered an over full of good-to-short length deliveries, which Azhar was more than happy to block, but the biggest takeaway was the lack of help for the bowlers. Anderson partnered Archer from the other end in search of wicket number 600 but the veteran, too, got no assistance from the pitch, which resembled Abu Dhabi more than Ageas Bowl.
However, destiny played its hand four overs later as on the 2nd ball of the 62nd over, Anderson - and the entirety of England - got to live and witness the moment he was waiting for. As Azhar Ali looked to cut a harmless good length delivery from Anderson, the ball, out of nowhere, took off, rose up and caught the outside edge of the Pakistan skipper’s bat and skipper Joe Root, standing at first slip, pocketed the red Dukes cherry safely to hand England’s talisman number 600. While the entire moment did feel a bit underwhelming in itself, due to the absence of crowds, the English players, regardless, took the opportunity to rush to Anderson and congratulate him and the veteran acknowledged his milestone by holding the ball up in the air.
Azhar Ali’s dismissal brought the struggling Asad Shafiq to the crease but the lack of liveliness in the pitch meant that even he strolled through most parts of his initial 25 balls with little difficulty. Two overs after taking his 600th Test wicket, Anderson was then taken off the attack by Root, who then decided to rush through the overs by bowling spin to get to the second new ball as quickly as possible. The 10-over period between overs 70 and 80 saw England employ spin and spin only - Bess, Root and even Sibley - and the subsequent passage of play became a golden opportunity to score easy runs for Babar Azam, who obliged and struck six boundaries en route his 15th Test fifty, the second of the series. However, even substandard spin bowling was too much to handle for Shafiq, who was caught at forward short-leg off the bowling of Root as he departed right on the stroke of the 80th over to expose new batsman Fawad Alam to the new ball.
Alam had his moments of tension against the new ball, particularly against Anderson, but he survived in his own idiosyncratic way, playing out 9 balls whilst scoring no runs. Azam, however, looked at the new-ball as an opportunity to score quick runs, and blasted multiple boundaries off Anderson to quickly race to 63*. The duo, however, only had to fight the new ball in contrasting fashion for three overs, as after the first ball of the 84th over, the two teams decided to shake hands and mutually end the game as a draw.
The result means that England walk away with the series 1-0, having won the first Test at Old Trafford in nerve-wracking fashion. The draw also means that Joe Root’s men, with 292 points, are still four points behind Australia on the World Test Championship table, in third spot. Pakistan, meanwhile, also retain fifth position, 14 points shy off New Zealand, who have 180 points to their name. The two teams will next square off in a three-match T20I series, which will commence on Friday, August 28.