NOTTINGHAM: James Anderson took 10 wickets in a Test for the first time as England humiliated Pakistan by a crushing 354 runs in their series opener at Trent Bridge.
Pakistan were dismissed for just 80 - their lowest Test total against England, replacing the 87 they made at Lord’s back in 1954 - before lunch on the fourth day.
After being set a mammoth 435 runs to win in the fourth innings, Pakistan got nowhere near, with swing specialist Anderson taking six wickets for 17 runs in 15 overs, including five wickets for 10 runs in 45 balls on the final day, to add to his first innings five for 54.
That gave Anderson, who turned 28 on Friday, his best match haul of 11 for 71 in his 49-Test career, beating the nine for 98 he took against New Zealand on this ground two years ago.
Danish Kaneria (16 not out) and opener Imran Farhat (15) were the only Pakistan batsmen to make double-figure scores in the innings with the extras accounting for 14 runs.
Pakistan resumed on 15 for three after their latest collapse in the face of accurate swing bowling in helpful, overcast conditions. And it wasn’t long before they were 37 for five.
Farhat edged Anderson to England captain Andrew Strauss at first slip before Umar Akmal was lbw after missing an inswinger. The 20-year-old Umar has managed just 64 runs in six innings on the England tour so far with a highest of 22.
Meanwhile, Fast-bowler Steven Finn continued to expose Pakistan’s vulnerable batting and took two wickets in four balls as the slump continued.
He struck fourth ball on the final day to end nightwatchman Mohammad Aamer’s hour-long resistance, courtesy of Kevin Pietersen’s catch in the gully.
Wicket-keeper Kamran Akmal, who had a poor game behind the stumps, then suffered his second nought of the game and third on the tour, lbw aiming across the line at Finn.
Anderson then had Umar Gul brilliantly caught by a leaping Paul Collingwood at third slip and the duo combined again to give the Lancashire seamer his 10th wicket when Shoaib Malik exited for nine.
And he wrapped up the match when last man Mohammad Asif fell for nought, caught in the slips by Graeme Swann.
England’s batsmen too found runs hard to come by against Pakistan’s pace trio of Mohammad Aamer, Asif and Gul.
But former Ireland left-hander Eoin Morgan, whose 130 was his maiden Test century, and Collingwood (82) shared a stand of 219 that saw England to a first innings total of 354 despite the accurate Asif’s five wickets for 77 runs.
Pakistan were dismissed for 182 in reply and only managed to save the follow-on thanks to tailender Gul’s Test-best 65 not out. England, 172 runs ahead, strengthened their grip with a second innings total of 262 for nine declared built upon Matt Prior’s unbeaten 102, after the wicket-keeper had come in with the side struggling at 72 for five.
That enabled England to set Pakistan a target in excess of the world record fourth innings victory total of 418 for seven scored by the West Indies against Australia in Antigua in 2003.
Pakistan captain Salman Butt
“I’m just two games old (as captain). What do you expect from these boys, to win every game? The faith I have in them, I know they’ll come back.”
England captain Andrew Strauss
“It was not all our way, we had some tough times but we reacted well. Our bowling was first class but I’m very conscious it’s only the first game.”
Published in The Express Tribune, August 2nd, 2010.
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