Final day: England clinch first Test by 74 runs

Pakistan lost the first Test match against England in the three-match series in Rawalpindi on Monday after they were bowled out for 268 runs while chasing a target of 343 runs.

Player-of-the-match Ollie Robinson claimed four, as did James Anderson as England comfortably pegged Pakistani batters back to claim the first test.

The 600 runs posted by England on the first day yielded its desired impact on the fifth an final day.

The high total put Pakistan under pressure from the off, not just the batters but also inexperienced bowlers, who were constantly chasing a mammoth task.

The target of 343 with a little more than a day to go was tantalizing for Pakistan, but its batsmen couldn’t recreate the heroics of the first innings and capitulated.

Saud Shakeel scored the highest for Pakistan with 76 off 159 balls.

But poor knocks from Asad Shafique – six off 14 deliveries, and captain Babar Azam at four off five deliveries put the pressure on the tail.

And once Pakistan had lost Azhar Ali for 40, the tail was badly exposed.

Earlier on Sunday, England declared their second innings with a score of 264-7, giving Pakistan a target score of 343.

Pakistan started the fifth day at 80-2, with Imamul Haq on 43 runs and Saud Shakeel on 24 runs. Both batsmen added modestly to their scores before they were sent packing.

Green Shirts are in a great position to win the first Test and take a 1-0 lead in the three-game series since they only need 263 runs on the last day.

The first Pakistani batsman to be out was Abdullah Shafique, who was caught after scoring 6 runs, attempting a pull shot by deep square leg.

Azhar Ali, Pakistan’s senior batter, was struck in the hand by Robinson and was unable to continue batting.

England will also play Test matches in both Multan and Karachi. This is England’s first Test tour of Pakistan since 2005.