Day 2: England 290 and 81-3 (Shahzad 2-26) lead Pakistan 110 (Robinson 4-11, Archer 3-26) by 261 runs
LORD’S — As well as England bowled on day two of this second Test, by the time they routed Pakistan for 110 to establish a first-innings lead of 180 you were left feeling that perhaps this was a glimpse into a dystopian future for the sport’s oldest format.
Test cricket has been written off for much of its 150-year history. But as Ollie Robinson and Jofra Archer tormented Pakistan’s batting line-up at Lord’s, the charade that this was actually a proper contest evaporated. We all knew the result at this point, even if England tried to keep things interesting by losing a couple of early wickets in their second innings.
Sport without consequence is boring. So more mismatches like this really do threaten to kill off Test cricket.
Bangladesh were rightly lauded for their landmark win against the Australians in Darwin earlier this month. But it’s the fact these results are so rare that makes them so newsworthy.
