England beat Pakistan by 194 runs in the second Test at Lord’s on August 30, completing a series victory with one match remaining. It was England’s first series win since December 2024. Pakistan, set 389 to win in their fourth innings, were bowled out for 194.
Mohammad Abbas was the standout performer for Pakistan in the match, taking nine wickets across both innings, including a five-wicket haul that earned him a place on the Lord’s honours board. Abbas now has 17 wickets in four innings at Lord’s at an average of less than 12. Across his last six Tests, he has taken 28 wickets at an average under 19. Despite Abbas’s efforts, Pakistan’s collective performance fell well short. England built a 180-run first-innings lead, aided in part by Pakistan dropping at least four catches at crucial stages. Abbas outlined what went wrong for his team.
“We dropped catches and their key players scored 70-odd extra runs. That’s where the match changed because we could have bowled them out for 200. It’s disappointing. Everyone is worried, including selection committee and the NCA. We’re not doing well, we accept that. We’re not batting, bowling or fielding well and we discuss this all the time in meetings. We’re all working on it and we need to be, too,” Abbas said in the post-match press conference, as quoted by Cricinfo.
How bad has Pakistan’s recent Test record become?
The defeat at Lord’s extended a deeply troubling run for Pakistan in Test cricket. Their record now stands at 15 defeats in their last 20 Tests, with 10 away defeats in 11 games. Pakistan sit at the bottom of the World Test Championship rankings, with no straightforward path to improvement visible in the near term. The Lord’s loss followed a heavy defeat at Headingley, which England won by an innings and 103 runs. Abbas dismissed any suggestion that a lack of effort was behind the results, and also reflected on the personal frustration of performing well while the team continues to lose.
“In Bangladesh, we had a different bowling combination to here. We won a Test in the West Indies. The guys are adjusting, but experience is very important in Test cricket. I’ve played 32 Test matches, but the fast bowlers playing with me are very new to Test cricket. But everybody is trying to improve. Individual performances are important, but I try to perform to help the team win. It’s been many matches that I’ve been performing but the team hasn’t won,” Abbas said.
What can Pakistan expect in the third Test at Birmingham?
Pakistan’s pace bowling unit has leaned heavily on Abbas throughout the tour. His partners Mohammad Ali and Khurram Shahzad both operate at 78- 82 mph, with Mohammad Ali having touched 86mph on one occasion. Their batting failed to mount a serious challenge in the Lord’s chase, and the dropped catches that cost them early in England’s first innings remained a clear point of concern for the touring side.
The third and final Test of the series is scheduled for Birmingham from September 9 to 13. Pakistan will head into that match having already lost the series, but with the opportunity to avoid a whitewash. Pakistan will need significant improvement with the bat and in the field at Birmingham if they are to end the tour on a positive note.
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