Monty Panesar and Stephen Harmison again proved a lethal combination for Pakistan as England won the second Test by an innings and 120 runs with more than two days to spare.
The duo, who took 19 out the 20 wickets to fall (the other was a run-out), dismissed Pakistan for 222 in their second innings after England had piled up 461-9 declared.
Fast bowler Harmison, who had taken 6-19 in Pakistan’s meagre first innings, polished off the tail on his way to a second innings return of 5-57.
His match figures of 11-76 were the first time he had taken 10 wickets in a Test.
But it was Panesar, with a Test-best 5-72, who ripped through Pakistan’s top-order second time around, the left-arm spinner capturing the prize wickets of Mohammad Yousuf, Inzamam ul-Haq and Younis Khan.
After taking 3-21 in the first innings, Panesar’s match return of 8-93 was also his best at this level.
But it was Harmison, fit again after a shin injury, who wrapped up the match with a devastating spell of 4-13 in 22 balls.
When rain forced an early tea, Pakistan were 167-5, still 175 runs behind.
And 14 balls after the resumption, Panesar had his fifth wicket of the innings when Faisal Iqbal (29) edged a delivery that turned and bounced straight to Marcus Trescothick at first slip — a classic spinner’s wicket.
Harmison then took charge, having Shahid Afridi taken by England captain Andrew Strauss at second slip and, two balls later, seeing Mohammad Sami caught behind — one of five dismissals in the innings for wicket-keeper Geraint Jones who was playing with a broken finger sustained on Friday.
Umar Gul went the same way before Abdul Razzaq (13) skied a simple catch to Jones as Pakistan’s resistance ended inside 68 overs.
Danish Kaneria was four not out.
Panesar struck with the first ball after lunch, removing the dangerous Yousuf for 15 after he drew the batsman forward and beat the outside edge before Jones completed the stumping.
Pakistan were 101-3 at that stage and that became 117-4 when Panesar saw off Inzamam for an unlucky 13.
The Pakistan skipper played the ball onto his toe as he pushed forward and Alastair Cook took the catch at silly point.
Panesar had taken two wickets for nine runs in 18 balls and, in a match coinciding with the 50th anniversary of Jim Laker’s Test world record 19-90 at Old Trafford, another England spin bowler was playing an important role at the Manchester venue.
Younis chanced his arm on a couple of occasions before completing a 91-ball fifty with six fours while new batsman Iqbal lofted Panesar for six.
But the 24-year-old Northamptonshire bowler, the first Sikh to play Test cricket for England, was unruffled and removed Younis for 62 when the batsman played no stroke.
Pakistan resumed on Saturday on 12 without loss.
Kamran Akmal was two not out and Imran Farhat, batting with a fracture in his right ring finger, four not out.
Akmal, promoted to open after Salman Butt was dropped from the team that drew the first Test at Lord’s, was undone by a ball that lifted alarmingly off a good length and fended behind to Jones.
Strauss, captaining England in the ongoing absence of Andrew Flintoff with an ankle injury, brought Panesar into the attack.
Panesar was soon getting sharp turn, as well as bounce, and his accuracy was rewarded in his fourth over when Farhat, on 34, lunged forward and gave a simple bat/pad catch to Ian Bell at short leg.
Harmison’s first-innings haul, on a lively pitch, saw England capitalise on the fact that, as in the drawn first Test at Lord’s, Pakistan were without leading fast bowlers Shoaib Akhtar (ankle), Mohammad Asif (elbow) and Rana Naved-ul-Hasan (out of the whole tour with a groin injury).
Harmison’s return was then backed up by Cook (127) and Bell (106 not out) who batted England into a commanding position with their second successive Test hundreds after they had each reached three figures at Lord’s. — AFP
