In a drearily familiar echo of Lord’s, England’s batting dissolved once more under the spell of Mushtaq Ahmed on the final afternoon, their apparent lunch-time composure giving way to chaos. The script was one Pakistan knew well: England, seemingly afloat, capsized in sight of safety. The consequence was not merely another lost Test but the extension of Pakistan’s mastery into a fifth consecutive series win over England. For Mushtaq, it was a fifth five-wicket haul in six Tests; for Wasim Akram, a fitting landmark—his 300th Test wicket. For Ray Illingworth, stepping down as chairman of selectors, it was an unkind epitaph: his first home series defeat after three years of stewardship.
England’s Unravelling
For Illingworth, coach David Lloyd, and captain Mike
Atherton, the summer had promised so much at Edgbaston only to end in futility.
England’s long-standing deficiency in fast bowling resurfaced, but even this
well-worn grievance could not mask the deeper malaise: batsmen twice undone on
a pitch that deserved better. Complaints about conditions—voiced before,
during, and after the Test—sounded hollow against a side demonstrably superior.
The controversy over the match ball—Wasim’s preference for the Reader,
England’s longing for the Dukes—was emblematic of their misplaced focus, for
such details obscured the broader gulf in class.
Selection Gambits and Early Signs
Even before a ball was bowled, England’s choices betrayed
uncertainty. Jack Russell, once deemed indispensable, was discarded in favor of
Alec Stewart’s dual role, allowing for an expanded bowling attack. The
experiment was muddled: Irani discarded, Croft introduced, and Caddick
sidelined despite his Headingley promise. Pakistan’s adjustments were more
straightforward—Aamir Sohail back in harness, Mohammad Akram replacing
Ata-ur-Rehman, Moin Khan trusted with the gloves.
John Crawley’s innings of authority on day one glittered
against the backdrop of collective frailty. Thorpe fell to misjudgment, Knight
to cruel luck, others squandered their starts. Crawley’s delayed hundred,
achieved under glowering skies, stood as a solitary monument amid mediocrity.
But by Friday afternoon, Anwar’s audacity rendered England’s total paltry.
Croft alone shone among England’s bowlers, his debut radiating a composure that
hinted at promise. Pakistan, driven by Anwar’s imperious 176, closed the gap
effortlessly.
Off-Field Farce
If Friday was dismal, Sunday invited farce. Chris Lewis,
late for duty owing to a punctured Mercedes and later omitted from the one-day
squad, embodied England’s paradox: flashes of brilliance eclipsed by poor
discipline. His electric run-out of Mujtaba could not conceal the sense of
squandered potential. This subplot, almost comic, highlighted a team as
troubled off the field as on it.
Mushtaq’s Web
Salim Malik’s century and Wasim’s astute declaration left
England chasing survival rather than glory. By the close of day four, Atherton
and Stewart endured a hostile barrage, but the decisive act awaited. Mushtaq,
introduced early on the final day, became both architect and executioner. At
lunch, England were 158 for two, their position deceptively secure. Then came
the collapse: eight wickets lost for 76 runs, a grim reprise of Lord’s.
Atherton was undone, Hussain given no reprieve, Crawley unsettled by intrusions
from streakers. Each dismissal seemed to carry the inevitability of doom.
Wasim, fittingly, delivered the coup de grâce: successive
balls to Croft and Mullally, his 300th wicket sealing Pakistan’s dominance. On
his knees in celebration, he was swarmed by teammates—a tableau of triumph.
Pakistan required 48 to win; they managed it in less than seven overs.
The Judgment
If credit was due to any Englishman, it was to groundsman
Paul Brind, whose wicket Richie Benaud hailed as the ideal Test surface: fair,
demanding, rewarding of skill. It exposed, brutally, that England lacked both
the technical discipline and the psychological fortitude to match Pakistan. For
Atherton and Lloyd, the summer closed not with lessons learned but with old
failings magnified.
The story was not one of bad luck, nor even of one bad
session, but of a team repeatedly rehearsing its own downfall. Where Pakistan
conjured artistry, England mustered excuses. And thus, in the theatre of Test
cricket, the curtain fell not with suspense, but with inevitability.
Thank You
Faisal Caesar
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