England started the 4th day, laughing between their ears expecting a smart turnover in their favor. They were initially frustrated by Azhar and Shafiq who composed a formidable 86 run partnership, huge in the context of this game. Azhar made 68, while Shafiq just missed his half century.
Those who followed mostly made double figure scores to at least present Pakistan bowlers something to defend, the eventual target being 145. Pakistan were dismissed for 214 with Monty Panesar having a all with 6 claims. England started their chase with their tails wagging high.
When they were 21 for no loss, they must have felt confident of finishing it today itself. From there, they did the same, only to their peril as they began falling like an uncouth deck of cards. Barring Strauss, who made a resilient 32 and Prior, who made 18, double figures were as nonexistent as snowfall in Sahara.
Up till now, Ajmal and Hafeez had been difficult to handle for Englishmen. However, this time, even while Ajmal and Hafeez were threatening enough, it was Abdur Rehman who turned demonic. With the pitch behaving like a dust bowl, and English batsmen inherently pathetic against slow bowlers, the trio wove a web of confusion. Rehman finished with 6 wickets, in the event, bundling England out for a paltry 72.
Thus, Pakistan sealed an unlikely and amazing victory and also clinched the 3-test series. For those who were lobbying for a delightful final test, this came as a damp squib. Yet, one has to uphold the integrity and bounce of Pakistan’s mental strength.
This was a day when Indians were whitewashed by Australia, and this was when Pakistan at least restored some parity to the subcontinent’s fortunes. One needs also consider that Sri Lanka, the third major side from the region, were recently outplayed by South Africa in both tests and ODI matches.
