England take Edgbaston Test after dramatic Pakistan collapse

BIRMINGHAM: Chris Woakes struck twice in quick succession on his Warwickshire home ground as Pakistan's dramatic middle-order collapse saw England winning the third Test at Edgbaston on Sunday.

Pakistan were all-out for 201 runs in their second innings.

At tea on the final day, Pakistan were 148 for seven after losing four wickets for just one run in 23 balls.

With all their specialist batsmen now dismissed, the question of scoring the further 195 runs they needed to reach a victory target of 343 was no longer a live issue.

Pakistan's priority now was to try to bat out the day's remaining 28 overs and prevent England going 2-1 up in the series ahead of next week's fourth and final Test at The Oval.

Yasir Shah and Mohammad Amir were on the crease but could not resist for much long. Yasir was dismissed for seven by James Anderson and Amir on 16 by Stuart Broad.

For the last wicket, Sohail Khan and Rahat Ali frustrated the England bowlers by establishing a 50-run stand. They resisted for over 10 overs, trying to delay the inevitable.

Pakistan were 124 for three when their collapse started, with captain Misbah-ul-Haq (10) caught behind off Steven Finn to give the persevering fast bowler his first wicket of the series.

Asad Shafiq then completed a pair when he was plumb lbw to all-rounder Woakes for a four-ball duck.

The paceman then made it two for none in six balls when Sarfraz Ahmed was also out for nought as he edged straight to Joe Root at second slip.

Sami Aslam, playing his first Test of the series, had again batted superbly for 70 following the opener's first-innings 82.

But a rare misjudgement by the 20-year-old left-hander saw him bowled by Finn as he deliberately left the ball.

It was the end of a more than three-and-a-half-hour innings, with Aslam facing 167 balls including 11 fours.

Finn had now taken two for none in 11 balls and tea was put back by 15 minutes to see if England could wrap up the game.

But instead they had to content themselves with a session where they took six wickets for 79 runs.

Pakistan's chase got off to a stuttering start as Mohammad Hafeez (two) fell cheaply for the second time in the match before first-innings stars Aslam and Azhar Ali repaired the damage with a stand of 73.

But Moeen Ali, who earlier on Sunday had made a quickfire 86 not out in a total of 445 for six declared, accounted for Azhar on 38 when the off-spinner had him edging to England captain Alastair Cook at second slip.

Cook decided against declaring before the start of Sunday's play even though, at 414 for five, England already led by 311 runs.

Jonny Bairstow was 82 not out and Ali 60 not out after they had taken the match away from Pakistan on Saturday.

Birmingham-born Ali, who grew up near Edgbaston, struck 19 runs in the first over of Sunday's play from Yasir Shah, including two successive sixes.

Bairstow had added just one run to his overnight score when he was lbw to Sohail Khan on review.

Ali was 86 not out, off just 96 balls including 10 fours and two sixes when Cook declared just four overs into Sunday's play.