Ali seals crushing win for England over Pakistan

Moeen Ali starred with both bat and ball as England beat Pakistan by 141 runs to win the third Test at Edgbaston on Sunday.

Victory left England 2-1 up in the four-match series ahead of next week's concluding Test at The Oval.

It also meant England had become the first team in 114 years of Test cricket at Edgbaston to win after conceding a lead of more than 100 runs batting first.

Pakistan, set a huge target of 343 for victory after England declared on 445 for six early on Sunday's final day, were dismissed for 201.

Off-spinner Ali, who earlier in the day struck a quickfire 86 not out, sealed England's win when he caught and bowled tailender Sohail Khan.

Pakistan suffered a dramatic middle-order collapse shortly before tea as they lost four wickets for just one run in 23 balls.

Pakistan were 124 for three when their slump started, with captain Misbah-ul-Haq (10) caught behind off Steven Finn to give the persevering fast bowler his first wicket of the series.

Asad Shafiq then completed a pair when he was plumb lbw to all-rounder Chris Woakes, bowling on his Warwickshire home ground,  for a four-ball duck.

It was the sixth time this series that paceman Woakes had taken a wicket in the first over of a spell.

Woakes then made it two for none in six balls when Sarfraz Ahmed was also out for nought as he edged to Joe Root at second slip.

Sami Aslam, playing his first Test of the series, had again batted superbly for 70 following the opener's first-innings 82.

But a rare misjudgement by the 20-year-old left-hander saw him bowled by Finn as he deliberately left the ball.

It was the end of a more than three-and-a-half-hour innings of 167 balls, including 11 fours.

Finn had now taken two for none in 11 balls and tea was put back by 15 minutes to see if England could finish the game.

But instead they had to content themselves with a session where they took six wickets for 79 runs.

At tea, Pakistan were 148 for seven, with Yasir Shah seven not out and Mohammad Amir 15 not out.

England beat Pakistan by 141 runs in the third Test at Edgbaston on Sunday to go 2-1 up in the four-match series.

Pakistan were bowled out for 201 after being set a target of 343 for victory when England captain Alastair Cook declared his side's second innings on 445 for six early on Sunday's fifth and final day.

The fourth Test at The Oval starts on Thursday.

Tea

Chris Woakes struck twice in quick succession on his Warwickshire home ground as Pakistan's dramatic middle-order collapse left England on the brink of victory in the third Test at Edgbaston on Sunday.

At tea on the final day, Pakistan were 148 for seven after losing four wickets for just one run in 23 balls.

With all their specialist batsmen now dismissed, the question of scoring the further 195 runs they needed to reach a victory target of 343 was no longer a live issue.

Pakistan's priority now was to try to bat out the day's remaining 28 overs and prevent England going 2-1 up in the series ahead of next week's fourth and final Test at The Oval.

Yasir Shah was seven not out and Mohammad Amir 15 not out.

Pakistan were 124 for three when their collapse started, with captain Misbah-ul-Haq (10) caught behind off Steven Finn to give the persevering fast bowler his first wicket of the series.

Asad Shafiq then completed a pair when he was plumb lbw to all-rounder Woakes for a four-ball duck.

The paceman then made it two for none in six balls when Sarfraz Ahmed was also out for nought as he edged straight to Joe Root at second slip.

Sami Aslam, playing his first Test of the series, had again batted superbly for 70 following the opener's first-innings 82.

But a rare misjudgement by the 20-year-old left-hander saw him bowled by Finn as he deliberately left the ball.

It was the end of a more than three-and-a-half-hour innings, with Aslam facing 167 balls including 11 fours.

Finn had now taken two for none in 11 balls and tea was put back by 15 minutes to see if England could wrap up the game.

But instead they had to content themselves with a session where they took six wickets for 79 runs.

Pakistan's chase got off to a stuttering start as Mohammad Hafeez (two) fell cheaply for the second time in the match before first-innings stars Aslam and Azhar Ali repaired the damage with a stand of 73.

But Moeen Ali, who earlier on Sunday had made a quickfire 86 not out in a total of 445 for six declared, accounted for Azhar on 38 when the off-spinner had him edging to England captain Alastair Cook at second slip.

Cook decided against declaring before the start of Sunday's play even though, at 414 for five, England already led by 311 runs.

Jonny Bairstow was 82 not out and Ali 60 not out after they had taken the match away from Pakistan on Saturday.

Birmingham-born Ali, who grew up near Edgbaston, struck 19 runs in the first over of Sunday's play from Yasir Shah, including two successive sixes.

Bairstow had added just one run to his overnight score when he was lbw to Sohail Khan on review.

Ali was 86 not out, off just 96 balls including 10 fours and two sixes when Cook declared just four overs into Sunday's play.

Lunch

Sami Aslam and Azhar Ali again frustrated England after the early loss of Mohammad Hafeez as Pakistan battled to save the third Test at Edgbaston on Sunday.

At lunch on the fifth and final day, Pakistan were 69 for one, needing 343 to win, after England had declared just four overs into Sunday's play on 445 for six.

Aslam was 36 not out and Azhar 30 not out.

Pakistan now required a further 274 runs in a minimum of 62 overs to go 2-1 up in the four-match series.

More realistically, they had to bat out two sessions for a draw that would keep the campaign all square ahead of next week's finale at The Oval.

Hafeez, who made nought in the first innings, fell for just two on Sunday when he hooked fast-medium bowler Stuart Broad straight to long leg, where Chris Woakes made no mistake with the routine catch on his Warwickshire home ground.

His exit completed a miserable 50th Test for Hafeez, who also dropped an important slip catch to reprieve Joe Root on Saturday.

It also meant the opener had made just 102 runs in six innings this series.

As had happened in Pakistan's first innings when they shared a stand of 181 in a total of 400, with Aslam marking his return to Test cricket with 82 and Azhar's 139 his first century at this level outside Asia, the second-wicket duo faced a rebuilding job.

But once more 20-year-old left-hander Aslam showed his class with two fours in as many balls off fast bowler Steven Finn.

England captain Alastair Cook decided against declaring before the start of Sunday's play even though, at 414 for five, his side already led by 311 runs.

Jonny Bairstow was 82 not out and Moeen Ali 60 not out after they had taken the match away from Pakistan on Saturday.

Quick runs were what England needed now and Birmingham-born Ali, who grew up near Edgbaston, delivered them in style.

Sunday's first over from Yasir Shah saw England score 20 runs, 19 of those off Ali's bat.

Leg-spinner Shah's third delivery was lofted for six over midwicket by Ali.

Left-hander Ali struck the next ball for six as well, this time over long-on.

Shah's fifth ball of the day was then sent skimming through midwicket for four by Ali who ended the over with a two.

Pakistan's match-winner in their 75-run win in the first Test at Lord's, Shah's lone over Sunday saw him finish the innings with figures of two for 152 in 42 overs.

Bairstow had added just one run to his overnight score when he was lbw to Sohail Khan on review.

His excellent 83 came off 127 balls including eight fours, with Bairstow and Ali adding 152 in under 29 overs.

Ali was 86 not out, off just 96 balls including 10 fours and two sixes when Cook declared, having made a useful 63 in England's first innings 297.

Pakistan were left needing to set an Edgbaston record if they were to pull off an unlikely victory as the highest fourth-innings score to win a Test at the ground is South Africa's 283 for five in 2008.

But it was only last year that Pakistan achieved their corresponding record of 382 for three away to Sri Lanka in Pallekelle.

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