England needed less than one session to complete a massive 354-run victory over Pakistan on day four of the first Test at Trent Bridge. James Anderson continued to profit in swinging conditions, knifing through Pakistan's line-up to take 6 for 17 and pick up his very first ten-wicket match haul after his 5 for 54 in the first innings.
Pakistan were in a tenuous position to start with at 15 for 3, and after a muted start by England's bowlers they quickly capitulated, crashing to 80 all out fifteen minutes before the scheduled lunch break. Imran Farhat and Mohammad Aamer resisted for more than seven overs before the breakthrough came, but after they were parted what little belief Pakistan may have held quickly dissipated.
With Anderson curving the ball both ways through the air, Farhat had been feeling at deliveries outside off stump all morning and eventually pushed at one away from his body to send a thick edge to Andrew Strauss at first slip.
In his next over Anderson trapped Umar Akmal with a hooping inswinger that thumped into his front pad and would have crashed into leg stump half way up, Umar using his team's final referral in a futile attempt to stay at the crease. Had he simply walked his brother, Kamran, might have been able to avoid bagging a pair as HawkEye suggested that the ball from Steven Finn that brought his dismissal would have missed leg stump.
A despondent Kamran could barely drag himself off the field, and with Aamer and Umar Gul also removed to catches behind the wicket in quick succession Pakistan were in freefall at 50 for 8 and in real danger of crashing to their lowest total in Test cricket. They managed to avoid that particular embarrassment, but still crumbled to their lowest Test score against England, failing to pass the 87 made in the country's third Test, at Lord's 56 years ago.
Anderson reached his personal milestone by snagging Shoaib Malik with a perfect outswinger that angled in and swerved away very late to take a healthy edge and give Paul Collingwood his third catch of the innings at third slip. Danish Kaneria went down swinging, putting a minor dent in Steven Finn's figures by hoisting him for a six and a four through square leg, but Anderson took very little time to get rid of Mohammad Asif.
Another probing, swinging delivery on off stump found the edge of the bat and flew to Graeme Swann at second slip, and Anderson's sixth wicket gave him match figures of 11 for 71 - the best match analysis by an England bowler since Matthew Hoggard collected 12 for 205 against South Africa at the Wanderers in January 2005.
Pakistan's young side will be mentally scarred by the scale of their defeat, and It is hard to see how they can pick themselves up for the second Test at Edgbaston. They won't have too long to dwell on things with the match starting on Friday. They could find some hope in the way they bounced back after a loss in their first Test of the summer against Australia, and had they held their catches in the first innings here they could have put England under more pressure.
The signs are much more positive for England, with two batsmen making hundreds to guide their team out of tricky situations and Anderson leading the bowling attack with aplomb in helpful conditions. An inconsistent and inexperienced Pakistan will have to make a dramatic change in their focus and approach if they are to mount a better challenge in the next game.
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