Misbah tribute to Messi-lookalike Yasir after Pakistan crush England in Lord’s Test

Mohammed Amir completes return to Test cricket by taking final wicket of match as Pakistan beat England by 75 runs on fourth day of series opener at Lord’s on Sunday.

Yasir Shah, right, took 10 wickets against Pakistan on Sunday. Gareth Copley / Getty Images

LONDON // Yasir Shah marked his first Test outside of Asia by taking 10 wickets in the match as Pakistan beat England by 75 runs in their series opener at Lord’s on Sunday.

Leg-spinner Yasir took 10 for 141, including a second-innings haul of four for 69 on Day 4.

His return, which surpassed Waqar Younis’s previous Test-match best for Pakistan at Lord’s of eight for 154, was central to the tourists going 1-0 up in this four-match series.

Mohammed Amir in his first Test appearance since he was given a five-year ban for his part in the 2010 spot-fixing scandal at Lord’s – Pakistan’s previous Test at “the home of cricket” – ended the match when he bowled No 11 Jake Ball.

Victory prompted the Pakistan team to perform several press-ups in front of the Lord’s Pavilion – a reference to their pre-tour military boot camp.

England, set 283 for victory, were all out for 207.

Delighted Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq, whose first-innings 114 in his maiden Lord’s Test saw him become Test cricket’s oldest century-maker for 82 years, said: “It is one of the top wins as captain and for Pakistan as a team.

“Everyone bowled well, especially Yasir. We always believe if we cross 300 runs [Pakistan made 339 in their first innings], we are very much in the game.

“We have a top spinner and the bowlers can really put pressure on the opposition. It has been a remarkable turnaround after the 2010 incident and the team took responsibility. To win here speaks volumes,” Misbah said.

As for Amir, a teenager in 2010 but now aged 24, Misbah said: “Everybody wants Mohammed Amir to play, especially the crowd. He is a good kid now and matured and can prove he is a good bowler.”

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England paid dearly for poor top-order batting in both innings and captain Alastair Cook said: “There was a bit of naive batting, kind of basic errors.

“It is a tough pill to take, losing at home, but there are three games to go.”

England were holding firm at 195 for six thanks to a determined stand of 56 between Jonny Bairstow (48) and Chris Woakes (23).

But Bairstow’s three-and-a-half-hour innings ended when he was bowled trying to whip a Yasir leg-break. That was the cue for a collapse that saw England lose their last four wickets for 12 runs in 31 balls.

England’s defeat was tough on Woakes who, in the absence of the injured James Anderson and Ben Stokes, took 11 for 102 in the match.

It was Pakistan’s unheralded left-arm quick Rahat Ali who reduced England to 47 for three.

His back-off-a-length ball had Cook (eight) edging through to wicketkeeper Sarfraz Ahmed.

Cook’s opening partner Alex Hales (16) chased a wide Rahat ball outside off stump, with Mohammed Hafeez holding a good catch at first slip.

Joe Root struck two superb cover-driven fours off Rahat but the star batsman fell into a hooking trap on nine when he paddled a Rahat short ball to Yasir, set back at deep square leg.

Earlier, Pakistan added just one run to their overnight 214 for eight as Stuart Broad cleaned up the tail.

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