The Pakistan cricket team is facing a dire situation during the ongoing Test match against England at the historic Lords venue. Chasing a massive target in their second innings, the visiting team's top order collapsed early as English bowlers wreaked havoc in the opening overs. Pakistan captain Babar Azam once again failed to anchor the innings, getting completely beaten by a searing bouncer from Jofra Archer. Following his dismissal, a wave of criticism erupted across social media platforms, with video clips of his unusual dismissal spreading rapidly online.
Babar Azam Trapped by Jofra Archer Lethal Bouncer
During the eighth over of Pakistan innings, Jofra Archer unleashed his pace by delivering a fiercely quick and short pitched delivery. The ball bounced much higher than anticipated and zipped rapidly towards the batsman body. Babar completely misjudged the pace of the delivery, finding himself stranded with no clear idea whether to play the shot or evade it. Caught in absolute confusion, the ball took a top edge off his bat, brushed close to the handle, deflected off the upper part of his helmet, and looped into the air towards the slip cordon.
Jordan Cox, stationed near fourth slip, sprinted forward and comfortably secured the catch to complete the dismissal. Consequently, Babar Azam innings came to an end at a meagre individual score of just 6 runs. He faced 8 deliveries in total before his stay at the crease was cut short. Even in the first innings of the match, his bat failed to produce any notable impact as he was dismissed for just 8 runs. His decline in the longest format of the game has been stark, with records indicating that his last Test century came against New Zealand back in 2022. It has been nearly four years since he last reached the three-figure mark in red-ball cricket.
Early Jolt Leaves Pakistan Batting Lineup Shambles
The second innings saw a dismal start for Pakistani batsmen as the opening partnership crumbled under pressure. English paceman Ollie Robinson struck early with two crucial breakthroughs before Jofra Archer unleashed his fiery spell. Within just 7.1 overs of the innings, the bulk of the Pakistan top order was already back in the pavilion with a mere 14 runs on the board. Opening batsman Azan Awais managed only 6 runs before being trapped leg-before-wicket by Ollie Robinson.
Following closely, Abdullah Shafique added to the disappointment by departing without troubling the scorer, failing to open his account. Robinson struck twice within the same over to dismantle the visiting batting structure. Looking at the broader picture of the match, England had earlier been bowled out for 208 runs in their second innings. Dan Lawrence anchored the hosts with a gritty knock of 54 runs from 70 deliveries to steady their momentum.
Bowlers Effort Overshadowed by Batting Collapse
Apart from Dan Lawrence, other English batsmen also made meaningful contributions to push the total forward. Harry Brook chipped in with 34 runs while Emilio added 31 runs to the tally before getting dismissed. Captain Joe Root also returned to the pavilion after contributing 24 runs to the board. On the bowling front for Pakistan, Mohammad Abbas delivered a stellar spell by claiming 5 wickets while conceding 57 runs. Fast bowlers Khurram Shahzad and Mohammad Ali also provided support by picking up two wickets each.
Reviewing the overall match trajectory, England had posted 290 runs in their first innings. In response, the entire Pakistan batting lineup collapsed spectacularly, getting bundled out for a paltry 110 runs. Based on the first innings performance, England secured a massive and commanding lead of 180 runs. Notably, England had already crushed Pakistan by an innings and 103 runs in the opening match of the test series.
