England on Saturday (August 8) registered a stunning three-wicket victory over Pakistan in the first game of the three-Test series at Old Trafford.
Chasing 277 in the fourth innings, England lost Rory Burns (10) cheaply as Mohammad Abbas trapped him plumb infront of the wicket. Dominic Sibley and skipper Joe Root bailed the hosts out of trouble with a 64-run partnership for the second wicket.
Leg-spinner Yasir Shah provided the breakthrough by dismissing Sibely for 36. Root also followed soon as Naseem Shah removed him for 42. Ben Stokes (9) and Ollie Pope (7) got out in single digits but Jos Buttler and Chris Woakes stitched 139 runs for the sixth wicket to put England on the brink of victory.
Yasir got rid of Buttler (75) when the score was 256 but Woakes (84 not out) held the one end firmly and guided the home team over the line in the company of Stuart Broad (7) and Dominic Bess (0*).
For Pakistan, Yasir Shah returned with the figures of 4/99 while Shaheen Afridi, Mohammad Abbas and Naseem Shah chipped in with wicket apiece.
Cricket fraternity was mighty impressed with the way English batsmen overhauled the challenging target in the fourth innings.
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