England beat Pakistan, lead Test series 1-0

England bowled out Pakistan for 268 runs in Rawalpindi Monday to win the first Test by 74 runs.

Pakistan began the fifth and final day on 80-2 after being set a target of 343 for victory, but Ollie Robinson and James Anderson took four wickets apiece to dash the home team’s hopes.

Spinner Jack Leach dismissed last-man-out Naseem Shah in fading light as the tailenders nearly held out for an improbable draw.

Anderson (4-36) and Robinson (4-50) were the chief wicket-takers for England, while Ben Stokes and Leach took one each.

The win gives England a 1-0 lead in the three-match series, with the second Test starting in Multan on Friday.

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With a total of 1768 runs, this was the highest-scoring five-day Test match in history. Only two timeless Tests in the 1930s had more runs scored.

England are on their first Test tour of Pakistan since 2005, having declined to visit in the interim years on security grounds.

It must be noted that England plundered runs on a lifeless wicket in Rawalpindi in the first innings. The visitors were finally all out for 657 — including a record 506 from the first day Thursday — with four batsmen scoring centuries off the hapless Pakistan bowling.

In reply, three Pakistan batter scored centuries as the home side posted 579 in their first innings.

In the second innings, England batted a run-rate of over seven to set Pakistan a daunting target of 343 runs.

The second Test is in Multan from December 9-13, and the third in Karachi from December 17-21.