England took an 2-1 lead in the four-Test series after Pakistan collapsed on Day 5 of the third Test in Birmingham on Sunday.
Captain Alastair Cook had declared the innings at 445/6, leaving Pakistan 343 runs to chase from 84 overs. Steve Finn finally came to the party, picking up two crucial wickets. Sami Aslam looked every inch a Test player yet again with a defiant 70 but the same could not be said about the rest of Pakistan's middle order who spectacularly collapsed from 79/2 to 125/7.
After losing the early wicket of Mohammad Hafeez, who yet again departed early, Pakistan consolidated through Azhar Ali and Aslam, who looked comfortable at the crease. The left-handed Aslam in particular, yet again showed no nerves of playing his first Test. With a solid middle order left to come, Pakistan looked comfortable at lunch at 69/1.
Moeen Ali continued his excellent work during the Test as he drew Azhar into driving outside the off-stump. Cook, who was attacking with two slips, took a sharp catch. England sniffed a comeback and that was when their pace attack came to the party.
James Anderson was brought back and the game's greatest fourth innings batsman through averages, Younis Khan, fended outside off and Bairstow took a neat diving catch. Aslam continued punching and driving with air of confidence that some of his senior teammates have lacked during this series. Misbah-ul-Haq was his watchful self.
After toiling away for five innings without a wicket, Steve Finn struck. The tall pacer was getting the ball to reverse and the vigilant Bairstow took another catch. This time, the ball was keeping low. Within five minutes Pakistan had lost another two and were left clutching at straws, with the tail left to bat out an entire session.
Chris Woakes, who has hardly put a foot wrong all series, got the ball to come back in and Asad Shafiq was trapped in front. The batsmen went for a review but the ball was clearly clipping the leg stump. There were plenty of men in catching positions at this point and Sarfraz Ahmed fished outside-off as Joe Root in the slip cordon just about managed to get his fingers below the ball.
Finn got the sixth wicket of the session with a peach and it was the pivotal strike of Aslam. The ball jagged back into the southpaw, who was well beaten and the ball crashed into his off-stump. It didn't take long for Anderson and Stuart Broad to remove Yasir Shah and Mohammad Amir. Sohail Khan and Rahat Ali frustrated England with an entertaining 52-run last wicket partnership but Ali finally broke through to give England a fantastic comeback victory.
England 297 (Gary Ballance 70, Moeen Ali 63; Sohail Khan 5 for 96) & 445/6 decl. (Moeen Ali 86 not out, Jonny Bairstow 83; Mohammed Amir 2 for 75) beat Pakistan 400 (Azhar Ali 139, Sami Aslam 82; Chris Woakes 3 for 79, Stuart Broad 3 for 83) & 201 (Sami Aslam 70, Azhar Ali 38; Stuart Broad, Steve Finn 2 for 29) by 141 runs.
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