James Anderson double leaves Pakistan reeling in second Test

James Anderson struck twice on his Lancashire home ground as England eyed a series-levelling win in the second Test against Pakistan at Old Trafford on Monday.

Pakistan were 47 for two at lunch on the fourth day, needing a further 518 runs to reach their unlikely victory target of 565.

Anderson, England's all-time leading wicket-taker, removed both Shan Masood (one) and Azhar Ali (eight) in a spell of two wickets for four runs in eight balls.

Mohammad Hafeez was 24 not out and Younis Khan, dropped in the slips, 12 not out. 

Left-handed opener Masood fell to Anderson for the sixth time in Tests when he edged the paceman straight to England captain Alastair Cook at first slip.
Anderson, returning to Test cricket after missing Pakistan's 75-run win in the series opener at Lord's with a shoulder injury, then had Azhar plumb lbw as the batsman aimed across the line to leave Pakistan 25 for two.

They should have been 32 for three when Younis, then on three, edged all-rounder Ben Stokes only for the normally reliable Cook to drop a seemingly routine two-handed slip chance. 

Earlier, Cook (76 not out) and Joe Root (71 not out) took England to 173 for one in their second innings before the skipper declared.

England, already with a huge lead of 489 runs, resumed on 98 for one after Cook had decided against enforcing the follow-on on Sunday.

Cook, who scored 105 in England's mammoth first innings 589 for eight declared, was 49 not out and vice-captain Root, whose Test-best 254 was the cornerstone of that total, 23 not out.

Left-handed opener Cook cover-drove Rahat Ali for the seventh boundary of his innings to complete a 55-ball fifty.

It was his fastest in Tests, surpassing a 56-ball effort against India in Mohali in 2008.

Root struck three legside fours in four balls from left-arm quick Rahat before another boundary, a slog-sweep off leg-spinner Yasir Shah, took him to a 38-ball fifty.

Root's 10th four, a reverse sweep off Azhar, saw England's second-wicket duo complete a century partnership.

The stand was worth 105 in 85 balls when Cook called a halt after he and Root had added 75 runs in just nine overs on Monday.

Shah, who took 10 wickets at Lord's, finished with second-innings figures of none for 53 in nine overs following his first-innings return of one for 213 in 56 overs.

That gave him an expensive match haul of one for 266.

Source: AFP