Anderson, Finn decimate hapless Pakistan by CricketArchive Staff Reporter

---

Ground:	Trent Bridge, Nottingham
Scorecard:	England v Pakistan
Player:	Mohammad Asif, JM Anderson, ST Finn
Event:	Pakistan in England 2010

---

DateLine: 30th July 2010

 

James Anderson produced an excellent bowling display to put England in control of the opening Test against Pakistan at Trent Bridge. Anderson claimed 5-49 and fellow paceman Steven Finn 3-20 as Pakistan slumped to 147-9, still eight runs short of avoiding the follow-on. England earlier collapsed to 354 all out, losing their last six wickets for 23 runs as Mohammad Asif took 5-77.

 

England's hopes of a total in excess of 400 were disrupted by a superb spell from Asif, who claimed 4-12 in seven overs. Aamer had already seen Morgan dropped in the slips by Farhat when Asif made the breakthrough in the sixth over of the day. Paul Collingwood, on 82, did not get forward enough to a straight delivery and a television review only confirmed that the ball had struck his pad before any bat was involved. Eoin Morgan had only added five runs to his overnight 125 when he was trapped leg before by Asif. Prior was easily run out after Graeme Swann changed his mind over a third run .

 

Asif then trapped Swann and Anderson leg before of consecutive balls before Finn survived the hat-trick ball as an edge dropped short of the slips but Gul wrapped up the England innings, beating Broad for pace and flattening his stumps.

 

Anderson found a testing line early and gained his reward when Butt nicked an away-swinger through to Matt Prior. Imran Farhat was the next to fall as Anderson produced a sublime delivery, which swung towards the batsman's pads, pitched on middle and seamed away to topple off stump. Finn removed Umar Amin in his first over, as a quick and straight ball drew a thick outside edge to Graeme Swann at second slip. Azhar Ali was the next to go after bizarrely opting not to refer the umpire's decision even though replays showed that Anderson's delivery had missed the edge and brushed his trousers on the way through to Prior. Finn had the Akmal brothers, Umar and Kamran, caught in the slips in quick succession before a gutsy partnership of 58 between Malik and Aamer held up England's charge.

 

Their resistance was finally broken by Anderson who drew the edge from Malik and watched skipper Andrew Strauss cling onto the catch at the second attempt. Soon afterwards Aamer (25) gave Anderson his ninth five-wicket haul in Tests and Broad bowled Danish Kaneria through the gate. But an aggressive innings from Gul looked set to deny Strauss the opportunity of enforcing the follow-on when the umpires took the players off the field.