England turn on the style to take control of second Test against Pakistan

England took control of the second Test in Pakistan after a sensational second morning in which eight wickets fell for 60, with six going to spinners Jack Leach and Joe Root.

In the blow of a prolonged lunch, Pakistan were bowled out for 202, still 79 behind, after a remarkable turn of the game that may well have decided both this game and the series.

When England resume after the break, they will do so with an invaluable advantage on a pitch that will not be any easier for batsmen.

Jack Leach (left) put on a dominating display as England bowled over Pakistan for 202 runs

Ollie Robinson (right) played his role as he celebrates the sacking of Pakistan captain Babar Azam.

However, the procession was started by a closer, when Ollie Robinson, with his second Test ball, struck back through the defenses of Babar Azam, who had moved ominously to 75 and looked set to add a century to the that I had he scored in the first innings at Rawalpindi.

Having resumed at 107 for two, Pakistan were now 142 for three, but with Saud Shakeel fighting hard, they were still in the game.

But Robinson was unhittable in a five-out spell over which he gave up just two singles, and Mark Wood fast. Pakistan fell back, with Mohammad Rizwan taking 28 balls and nearly 55 minutes to deflect the mark. It was an approach that seemed unlikely to end well.

Pakistan’s Saud Shakeel was fighting hard amid a barrage of brilliant deliveries from England

Leach eventually took Shakeel’s wicket and was congratulated by his teammates.

Shakeel did his best to change the pace, throwing Leach across the ground and then trying something more leg-like on the next ball. But the strike lacked control, and Jimmy Anderson sprinted from the middle into the middle of the wicket to hold an excellent over-the-shoulder catch. Shakeel was out for 63, and a jubilant Leach took his 100th Test wicket.

It was the prelude to an alarming collapse. The ball after hitting Leach for a straight high four, Rizwan, who had otherwise calmed down, grappled with a delivery which he lobbed to the leg and hit top-of-the-middle and out, a decent ball that looked still better with a tentative blow.

And it was 169 for six when Mohammad Nawaz meekly chipped Leach to Anderson in the middle of the game.

Enter root. Without further ado, Agha Salman, who had batted gamely at Rawalpindi, passed his first ball to Ben Stokes up the middle. Then Mohammad Ali, part of a long tail, was caught by Zak Crawley on a slide after the ball took the edge and swelled on his bag.

Jimmy Anderson did a brilliant job catching Shakeel, following Leach’s wicked delivery.

England have taken control of the second test at lunch and the series as a whole, as well as

Pakistan were in free fall, and Wood again caught Zahid Mahmood for a duck to make it 179 for nine. Faheem Ashraf and Abrar Ahmed added a quick 23 for the final wicket, but the collapse was complete when Faheem moved Wood a square deep back for 22.

If Pakistan’s batting was supine, England were superb, giving their opponents nothing to bat for in a session that lasted almost two and three-quarters hours: play had started 15 minutes earlier to make up for some of the time lost on Friday, then it was extended until the scheduled lunch. break because Pakistan was nine down.

England will still have to contend with Abrar, of course, the debutant mystery spinner who took his first seven wickets on the first day, but they may never have a better chance of taking a 2-0 lead in Pakistan for the first time in their history.