Pakistan beaten by 9 wickets as England go 2-0 up

BIRMINGHAM: England captain Andrew Strauss survived being dropped three times to guide his team to a nine wicket win against Pakistan on the fourth day of the second Test at Edgbaston here Monday. England, set 118 to win, finished on 118 for one as they went an unbeatable 2-0 up in this four-match series with more than a day to spare. Opening batsman Strauss and Jonathan Trott were both 53 not out, with England winning their sixth Test in a row. England had made just seven when Alastair Cook was clean bowled by left-arm quick Mohammad Aamer after a full length delivery kept low. England could then have been 17 for two when off-spinner Saaed Ajmal, with only his third ball, induced an edge from Strauss, playing a forcing shot, on 10. But debutant wicketkeeper Zulqarnain Haider, brought in after Kamran Akmal missed several chances and bagged a pair in Pakistan's 354-run first Test defeat at Trent Bridge, could not hold the tough catch with England then on 17 for one. Zulqarnain then failed to hold a simpler chance off a defensive edge from Strauss, on 38, with Ajmal again the unlucky bowler. Strauss, was on 43 when Mohammad Asif, running back at mid-off, failed to hold a skyer off Shoaib Malik but England were almost home. Trott went to his second fifty of the match with a cover-driven four off Malik that levelled the scores before Strauss's inside-edged single off Ajmal ended the match. Pakistan were earlier dismissed for 296, after resuming on 291 for nine, with Asif (14) caught in the gully by Kevin Pietersen off Stuart Broad. Umar Gul, batting with a runner, was 13 not out. But Gul's hamstring injury meant the paceman was unable to bowl. Zulqarnain, in on a king pair, top-scored with 88. It represented a remarkable recovery after Pakistan made just 72 -- their lowest score against England -- in the first innings. England off-spinner Graeme Swann took a Test-best six wickets for 65 runs. Pakistan have a two-day match against Worcestershire starting on August 13 before the third Test gets underway at The Oval on August 18.