Seam quartet puts England on verge of series win

Second Rothesay Test, Lord's (day two of five) England 290 (Smith 61, Cox 55; Abbas 4-73) & 81-3 (Gay 30*) Pakistan 110 (Awais 46; Robinson 4-11, Archer 3-26) England lead by 261 runs Scorecard England's quartet of seamers once again overwhelmed Pakistan to put the home side on the verge of a series win on the second day of the second Test at Lord's. Led by Ollie Robinson and Jofra Archer, and supported by Josh Tongue and Gus Atkinson, the foursome gave another demonstration of why there is growing optimism around the England attack. The struggling Pakistanis, without the injured Imam-ul-Haq, were hustled out for 110. Only Azan Awais, who made 46, passed 20 – extras was the next highest score. Robinson continued his sensational comeback summer with 4-11, while Archer bowled with electrifying pace for his 3-26. It gave England, who earlier extended their first innings to 290, an advantage of 180 runs. The hosts were soon 13-2 in their second innings before being steadied by a stand of 47 between Emilio Gay and Joe Root. As the light drew in, Root was dismissed by Mohammad Ali for 24, the captain once again lbw to a seam bowler in what has become a trend for England's all-time leading run-scorer. Harry Brook overturned being given out lbw first ball to the same bowler and Gay battled to 30 not out. The opener has the opportunity for a much-needed score to quieten questions about his place in the side. England reached 81-3, a lead of 261. Given Saturday's weather forecast, they may have to wait some time to build their advantage. England push towards series win If a competitive first day, when England reached 248-9, left this match evenly poised, the second day was almost entirely dominated by the home side and put them in complete control. Atkinson and Tongue added 42 runs on Friday morning to take their 10th-wicket partnership to 47. It gave England all the momentum. And the value of England's total was put into context by the quality of their bowling. Batting conditions eased slightly on day two, though there was still plenty of assistance for bowlers who put the ball in the right place. England were relentless in doing so again and again. Pakistan were unfortunate to lose opener Imam to a calf injury, but his absence probably did little to alter the outcome. Even with England's wobble at the beginning of their second innings, they probably already have enough to win this match and the series. In three attempts so far on the tour, Pakistan's highest total is 171 and they have not managed to bat for 50 overs. Saturday's weather forecast is horrendous, possibly a complete washout. If that is the case, England still have more than enough time to wrap up victory over the bank holiday weekend. Get cricket news sent straight to your phone