Robinson’s 4-24 earns match figures of 8-35; Tongue takes 3-46
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.
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.
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.
Rob Valetini filled in for skipper Harry Wilson at No 8 but Fraser McReight’s display will give Australia coach Les Kiss just as much food for thought
Rob Valetini bulldozed, barged through and brought the hammer down on home hopes in San Salvador de Jujuy during the Wallabies’ 27-21 win over Argentina, Australia’s fourth victory on the trot.
It was a rare start for Valetini, filling in for captain Harry Wilson in the gold No 8. The man they call Bobby V turns 28 this week and looks to be building towards his peak just in time for next year’s home World Cup. The person Valetini may have damaged more than anyone with his brutal performance, however, was the rested captain.
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