England wrap up big win in tainted Test
Published:Monday | August 30, 2010 | 12:00 AM
LONDON (AP):
England wrapped up the fourth and final Test against Pakistan before lunch at Lord's yesterday, winning a match tainted by corruption allegations by an innings and 225 runs.
Pakistan's final six wickets fell in a single session on day four for the addition of 106 runs to give England a resounding 3-1 series win in their final Test before the Ashes and hand the tourists their heaviest ever Test defeat.
Pakistan capitulated to a second-innings 147 after following on, with only a last-wicket stand of 50 preventing them from becoming the first team dismissed for less than 100 twice in the same Test at Lord's since New Zealand in 1958.
But England's remarkable recovery from 47-5 on the second day has been overshadowed by the allegations hanging over Pakistan bowlers Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif.
There is no suggestion that Pakistan's players conspired to lose the match but police have questioned them after British newspaper News of the World alleged in its Sunday edition that they were paid to bowl no-balls during Thursday's opening day.
Umar Akmal finished unbeaten on a spirited 79 runs, 53 more than any of his teammates managed in both innings.
Azhar Ali and Kumar Akmal fell for the addition of 23 runs before Amir, one of the bowlers at the centre of the newspaper allegations, was third man out. The 18-year-old Amir, who took a career-best 6-84 in England's 446 all out, was bowled by Graeme Swann for 0.
Swann then lured Wahab Riaz into gifting Kevin Pietersen an easy catch, Stuart Broad ran out Saeed Ajmal with a direct hit and Asif became Swann's final victim. Asif hit the ball on to his right foot, then his left and into Paul Collingwood's hands.
Swann claimed 5-62 for a place on the Lord's honours board, with a total of 9-74 for the match.
On a flat batting track on which Man-of-the-Series Jonathan Trott and Broad each hit big centuries in a world-record eighth-wicket partnership of 332, Pakistan were dismissed for less than 100 for the fourth time in the series.