Robinson strikes again as England wrap up Pakistan series win

Ollie Robinson led the way once more as England clinched a series win over Pakistan with a thumping 194-run win in the second Test at Lord's on Sunday despite Saud Shakeel's fine 97. Pakistan were dismissed for 194 on the fourth day, having been set an improbable victory target of 389, to give England an unbeatable 2-0 lead in a three-match series.

This was England's first multi-match Test series win since a 2-1 success in New Zealand more than a year ago. Player-of-the-match Robinson finished with overall figures of 8-35 in 26 overs, his 4-24 on Sunday following the seamer's sensational 4-11 during Pakistan's meagre first-innings 110. "It was about keeping the stumps in play and nibble it either way," said Robinson during the presentation ceremony. For Joe Root, it was another dominant win at the start of his second spell as England's permanent Test captain after Ben Stokes's shock international retirement, with Sunday's success following an innings and 103-run rout of Pakistan at the skipper's Headingley home ground last week.

"It feels good and the way we have done it as well has been pretty convincing," said Root. "Then to have three guys (Jofra Archer, Josh Tongue, Gus Atkinson) who can bowl 90 mph (145 kmh) and Ollie Robinson looks horrendous (to face) in these conditions," he added, with England looking to complete a whitewash in next month's third Test at Edgbaston. Pakistan captain Babar Azam was clear where this match was won and lost. "In the batting, we weren't up to the mark (in the first innings)," he said. "Saud Shakeel showed his class and dedication in the second innings." piekny-pies.pl

Sussex captain Robinson produced a pair of double strikes on Sunday either side of Shan Masood and Shakeel checking England's progress with a fourth-wicket partnership of 97. Robinson took two wickets in four balls to leave the tourists 7-2, before express quick Archer dismissed Azam. But from the dire position of 14-3 before lunch, Shakeel and fellow left-hander Masood kept England at bay.

Robinson, however, eventually had Masood lbw for a gritty 26. And 111-4 became 115-5 when Mohammad Rizwan was lbw to Robinson carelessly slogging across the line. Shakeel, 78 not out at tea, went to 86 by hooking Tongue for six and, two balls later, another superb hook off another the fast bowler saw him into the 90s. Shakeel pulled the fifth ball of the over to go to 96 only for his 122-ball innings to end soon afterwards when, trying to reach three figures in style, he swung Tongue straight to Harry Brook at deep square leg.

Abbas honours

Pakistan were now effectively eight wickets down with Imam-ul-Haq still sidelined by the calf problem that meant the opener was unable to bat in Pakistan's first innings. Tongue then cemented his reputation for polishing off the tail by bowling Khurram Shahzad before ending the match when he had Mohammad Ali caught in the slips by Harry Brook.

Pakistan had hoped Masood and Azan Awais would see off the new ball on a still seam-friendly pitch. Awais, however, was lbw to Robinson and, three balls later, Abdullah Shafique was bowled for a duck by a superb delivery from the paceman, which angled in and moved away late to hit off stump. Archer's brutal bouncer then had Azam in a horrible flap, with the ball looping to Jordan Cox at second slip.

Earlier, Mohammad Abbas finally achieved a coveted place on the Lord's honours boards with a five-wicket haul as England were dismissed for 208. Abbas, 36, had come close before with a trio of four-wicket returns, including his 4-73 in England's first-innings 290. But he went one better on Sunday with 5-57 after starting the day with three wickets in the innings.

Dan Lawrence had added just four runs to his overnight 50 not out when he was bowled by Abbas before the veteran seamer had Robinson well caught by wicket-keeper Rizwan, standing up to the stumps. An elated Abbas was mobbed by his team-mates before kissing the turf in celebration. "For Mohammad Abbas to take five wickets as well is a great moment for him," said Azam.

This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever

England vs Pakistan 2026 2nd Test: Babar Azam-led Pakistan cricket team achieved a new embarrassing record after their humiliating 194-run in second Test of the three-match series against England at Lord’s in London on Sunday. Chasing 389 runs to win, Babar Azam’s side were bundled out for 194 to lose the series after the first two matches.

It was also Pakistan’s 154th loss in Test cricket history, meaning the Asian side have now lost more matches as compared to those won – 153 – in the longest format of the game. They became the 8th team after India, West Indies, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Zimbabwe and Ireland to lose more games than won in Test cricket.

It has happened to Pakistan for the first time since the draw against England in Oval Test in August 1987. They had 39 wins and 40 defeats in 170 Test matches at that point.

Incidentally, Shubman Gill’s Team India could have improved on their record if they had managed to defeat Sri Lanka in the second Test of two-match series last week. But the Indians have also only won 187 matches as compared to 188 losses in Test cricket.

The winning wicket!

Our 194-run win confirmed!

Match Centre: https://t.co/Z9bsIoMyb6 pic.twitter.com/RAmEIMrQzD

— England Cricket (@englandcricket) August 30, 2026

Pakistan captain Babar Azam, who was dismissed for only 8 off 10 balls, admitted that his team’s batting failure was the main reason behind their 194-run defeat against England. Babar admitted that he had opted to bowl first after winning the toss to make use of the conditions, but the batting unit failed to capitalise on the opportunities in both innings.

“I think we won the toss and bowled first, and we tried to utilise the conditions. Then, the batting was not up to the mark. Second innings again, bowling…Abbas was outstanding. Batting again collapsed,” Babar Azam said during the post-match presentation.

Babar Azam praises Saud Shakeel

The Pakistan captain highlighted Saud Shakeel’s fighting knock of 97, saying the batter showed ‘class and determination’ in the second innings. “I think Saud showed class and determination. We just followed our plans and tried to build a partnership, but unfortunately we didn’t have partnerships,” Babar Azam said about Saud Shakeel.

Babar also praised pacer Mohammed Abbas for his five-wicket haul in the second innings, calling it a special achievement at the ‘iconic’ venue. “I think a Lord’s five-for is a memorable moment for Abbas. To be honest, we’re trying to do our best with both batting and bowling,” Babar said.

Pakistan will now face England in the third and final match of the three-game series at Edgbaston in Birmingham from September 9. “To be honest, we’re trying to do our best more in both sides, batting and bowling, because we have an opportunity but we did not grab it properly. We just sniff a little bit in the batting and bowling, so we’re trying to do better in last match,” Babar said, when asked what his side need to do to win a match in the three-game series.

There has been a lot of talk in recent weeks about Tata Steel walking away from football. The closure of Jamshedpur FC and the passing of the baton to Churchill Brothers have created serious concerns in football circles. Tata Steel is one of the beacons of hope for Indian sport and, had it withdrawn, it would indeed have been a major blow to the sport.

But are they withdrawing? Does the closure of Jamshedpur FC mean Tata Steel is walking away from football?

I was in Jamshedpur last week and managed to speak to everyone involved in the decision-making process. The one thing that came through very clearly to me is that the Tatas are certainly not leaving sport. Yes, there is a recalibration under way, and that is the truth. But, at the same time, it can be unequivocally said that the money being spent on football will continue to be spent on the sport. Only, going forward, the focus will be on women’s football.

In a sense, I am delighted that this will be the case. The women’s game has a serious future in India, and a proper academy on the lines of the Tata Football Academy (TFA) has been a dire need. The Tata Group knows its sport and runs academies for archery, hockey, climbing and many other disciplines. For them to run an academy for the women’s game will not be the most difficult task.

For the sport, however, it could not have come at a better time. Three Indian women’s teams qualified for the AFC competitions last year, while East Bengal are doing very well at the Asian level. Overall, there is a sense of positivity around the sport, and this is when it needs momentum. For the Tatas to shift their focus to the women’s game could not have come at a better time.

I had the opportunity to meet Shri DB Sundara Ramam, Vice President, Corporate Services, Tata Steel, in Jamshedpur and discuss the vision for the women’s game. From what transpired, I am very optimistic that we will see the blueprint for an academy being announced within the next three months. Work is already under way, and I could sense a deep commitment and optimism. The AIFF is already being consulted, and things should become clearer in the coming months.

Much like the WPL in cricket, this could be a major step forward for Indian women’s football. The injection of proper funding could make the game aspirational and, with the kind of talent available, there is reason to believe that good things will happen in the sport over the next five years.

What I also learnt is that Tata Steel is going to honour every contract of every Jamshedpur FC player and member of staff. While a number of them have been absorbed into the youth set-up, those who are not keen on playing for Churchill Brothers will still be paid their full contracted salary. If it was a two-year contract, the entire 24 months will be paid.

All I can say is that I will be closely tracking the women’s football story going forward. It is a story for the future.

Follow Revsportz for latest sports news

The post Tata Steel Isn’t Walking Away from Football; It Is Recalibrating appeared first on Sports News Portal | Revsportz.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has decided to move the inaugural Women’s Champions Trophy out of Sri Lanka because of the government’s control of the board.

Currently, Sri Lanka Cricket’s affairs have been run by a government-appointed committee, which was brought in to oversee reforms to the board’s affairs, including changes to its constitution and governance structure.

The transformation committee had completed a draft constitution of the board and sent it to the Sports Minister. The proposed changes were awaited to undergo the legal process of being presented to Parliament.

The members of the Transformation Committee told the media that if expects for SLC elections to take place before the end of 2026, so long as the parliamentary process runs smoothly.

However, as per the ICC policy, no politically appointed administration is allowed. The ICC has also refused to allow SLC representatives to attend ICC Board meetings since the Transformation Committee took over.

“The ICC Board received an update on Sri Lanka Cricket and noted progress towards a revised Constitution. It reiterated the need for elections to be held as soon as possible and agreed that Sri Lanka Cricket would continue to be unable to be represented at ICC Board meetings for the time being,” said ICC in a statement released in July.

Beyond the financial implications of the tournament being withdrawn, there are likely to be consequences for the sport itself. With the tournament scheduled to be played between the top six teams in the ODI team rankings, including the hosts, Sri Lanka is out of the tournament.

Sri Lanka are currently in the seventh position. Australia, England, India, New Zealand and South Africa are in the top five, while the West Indies are in the sixth position of the rankings.

Previously, Sri Lanka had lost the hosting rights of the 2024 U19 World Cup, which was eventually moved to South Africa after Sri Lanka’s sports ministry had dissolved the elected SLC board.

The post Sri Lanka Lose Hosting Rights for Inaugural Women’s Champions Trophy; India a Likely Replacement appeared first on Times of Sports.