England thrash Pakistan by an innings and 47 runs

Rawalpindi, Hyderabad and now Multan. The Bazballers are capable of special victories away from home like no other England side before them.

Yes they are flawed, some will never accept their methods, but their verve and exceptional artistry takes conditions out of the equation and gives them the belief they can win from any position.

This, the 20th win of the Bazball era from 30 games, was one of their best. Pakistan were beaten by an innings and 47 runs after racking up 556 in the first four sessions of the game, thinking they were safe on the sleepiest of pitches.

But they were once again swept up by a whirlwind of England’s blazing bats and dumped back on the ground subdued and disorientated. They keeled over, down and out an hour before lunch on day five for 220 in 55 overs to become the first team in Test history to lose by an innings after scoring 500.

The record breaking deeds of Joe Root and Harry Brook deserved to be crowned by the right result and it was delivered by Jack Leach when Naseem Shah was stumped having a heave. With no 11 Abrar Ahmed in hospital with a virus that was it, the players shook hands. England took 19 wickets on a featherbed, batted at 5.48 an over in scoring 823 for seven declared, a gargantuan total that will haunt the nightmares of a Pakistan team that has been falling apart all year.

After 61 years of winning just two Tests in Pakistan, England now have four in a row. They can whitewash Pakistan again. The series resumes at the same ground on Tuesday, it is going to take some regrouping for Pakistan not to be haunted by what has happened here this week.

Leach’s four for 30, and six wickets in the game, should restore his position as senior spinner. Shoaib Bashir had a disappointing match, and remains a work in progress. Leach grabbed his chance and despite little turn on this surface he finished the job off for England, bowling consistently and luring the batsmen in to mistakes. 

Brydon Carse was the pick of the seamers on debut, bowling with aggression and pace to prove he can be an Ashes pick. He struck Salman Agha on the head, Aemar Jamal on the wrist and deserved better than his two for 66.