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Ollie Robinson and Josh Tongue roll over Pakistan to give England series win

Tempting as it is to wince at the state of Pakistan’s Test team, England’s completion of a breezy series victory with a match to spare was not entirely insignificant for Joe Root and his men given the backdrop of their chaotic summer.

Until Josh Tongue finally nicked off Mohammad Ali at 5.45pm on Sunday to claim this second Test by a yawning margin of 194 runs, England had not won a series since late 2024. For Root it was his first as Test captain for more than five years. To have struggled at home against a touring side in such obvious disarray itself would have been practically to invite the sky to fall in over Lord’s.

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© Photograph: Tom Jenkins/The Guardian

© Photograph: Tom Jenkins/The Guardian

© Photograph: Tom Jenkins/The Guardian

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England v Pakistan: second men’s cricket Test, day four – live

Updates from day four at Lord’s; play starts 11am BST
County cricket – live | Sign up for The Spin | Mail James

48th over: England 182-7 (Lawrence 54, Robinson 3) Mohammad Abbas, who has performed well here and remains a fine bowler to watch, starts us off at the Pavilion End. After four dots, Robinson nudges one off his hips for the day’s first single. It brings Lawrence to the strike and he promptly crunches a square cut to the ropes at the Grandstand for four.

47th over: England 177-7 (Lawrence 50, Robinson 2) Mohammad Ali bowls the remaining ball of his over to Lawrence, who plays an orthodox forward defensive. No run.

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© Photograph: Tom Jenkins/The Guardian

© Photograph: Tom Jenkins/The Guardian

© Photograph: Tom Jenkins/The Guardian

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Dan Lawrence hails ‘different mentality’ as he strives to make up for lost time

  • England all-rounder ‘desperate’ to establish himself

  • Lawrence hits second fifty of Pakistan series at Lord’s

Dan Lawrence said he was “desperate to establish myself in an England shirt” after taking some solid steps in the right direction on a rain-affected third day of the second Test against Pakistan.

In a chill breeze and with frequent interruptions from the weather, the battle for England’s batting spots heated up in the continued absence of the injured Jacob Bethell. Emilio Gay’s hard-fought 31 was ended by a grubber before Lawrence scored his second half-century of the series – matching Jordan Cox on that metric – to put England in control, 177 for seven at stumps to stand 357 ahead.

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© Photograph: Sam Mellish/Getty Images

© Photograph: Sam Mellish/Getty Images

© Photograph: Sam Mellish/Getty Images

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