England survived a commendable knock by Saud Shakeel to beat Pakistan on the fourth day of the second test match between the two sides in Multan.
The left-handed batter scored 94 in the second innings before being dismissed controversially as Pakistan fell 26 runs short of the 355-run target.
Shakeel was given out on the field when he edged a Mark Wood ball down the leg side that seemed to fall short of Ollie Pope’s gloves but the Aleem Dar’s onfield call stood after the review to leave the batter six runs short of his first hundred.
His 80 runs partnership with Mohammad Nawaz had given Pakistan a strong hope of a famous win after the team resumed their hunt for the target on the fourth day at 198/4 and needing 157 runs for the series-levelling win.
England threw a wrench in these plans early getting Faheem Ashraf (10) to edge a catch to slip from Joe Root’s bowling.
The incoming Nawaz (45) and Shakeel rescued Pakistan from there but both fell in quick succession to Wood just before lunch.
The lower order, tasked once again with the rescue act, managed to hang around with Abrar Ahmed (17), Agha Slaman (11), Zahid Mehmood (0) and Mohamad Ali giving Pakistan a faint chance before England sealed the three-match series 2-0 following their win in Rawalpindi.
Earlier in the match, England had set Pakistan a target of 355 runs after making 275 runs in their second innings.
Harry Brook led his side with the bat once again, scoring 108 to set a stiff target for Pakistan.
The dismissals of Mohammad Rizwan (30), Babar Azam (1) and Abdullah Shafique (45) put Pakistan in a deep hole before Saud Shakeel began his Multan test masterclass with a classy partnership of 108 with Imam-ul-Haq (60) to give Pakistan a fighting chance on the fourth day.
The teams will now turn their attention to the last match of the series scheduled to be held in Karachi from the 17th of December.
Scores:
England 1st innings: 281-all out.
Pakistan 1st innings: 202-all out.
England 2nd innings: 275-all out.
Pakistan 2nd innings:328-all out
Result: England won by 26 runs.
