England vs Pakistan report: Hosts complete 330-run thrashing to level series at Old Trafford

England 589-8d & 173-1d, Pakistan 198 & 234

Captain Alastair Cook leads the celebrations after England complete their Old Trafford victory (Getty) (Getty)

England will head to Edgbaston next week level in the series, however they will only discover at what cost this landslide win has come when Ben Stokes undergoes a scan on Tuesday on the calf injury he sustained in the pursuit of victory.

Stokes pulled up two balls into the 22nd over of Pakistan’s second innings, which was ruthlessly wrapped up for 234 by an England side who can now bask in the afterglow of a dominant 330-run win in this second Test.

Yet those celebrations will have been soured by the uncertainty over the fitness of their key all-rounder, who is now at risk of missing the remainder of a series that is now tantalisingly poised at 1-1 ahead of the third Test in Birmingham starting on Wednesday week.

The early vibes emanating from England’s dressing-room regarding Stokes were positive. But whether or not he is fit for Edgbaston should not affect Alastair Cook’s side too much such is their confidence now following such a one-sided win.

Coming so quickly after Pakistan’s shock 75-run success in the first Test at Lord’s, England will head into the final two convinced they can wrap up the series, especially with another all-rounder in Chris Woakes in such fine form too.

Woakes had taken 11 wickets at Lord’s and he took another seven during this match in Manchester, where he also scored a fine half-century with the bat, to underline his emergence as a Test performer of real quality.

There were even wickets for Moeen Ali, his three in Pakistan’s second innings taking his total in the match to five and easing the pressure on the spinner that had been cranked up after toothless display a week earlier.

Such were the frailties of the tourists’ batting during this match, England were heavily criticised for not enforcing the follow-on and going for victory on day three.

That, though, is now a moot point, Cook and the team management’s decision justified by the heavily one-sided end result achieved inside four days.

James Anderson celebrates after taking the wicket of Azhar Ali (Getty)

England batted for just 39 minutes of the fourth morning, adding 75 runs to their overnight lead of 489 in nine overs, before declaring their second innings on 173 for one.

Cook and Root both brought up their half-centuries in that time, the England captain’s 50th and, in 55 balls, the fastest of his Test career. Root’s fifty, in 38 deliveries, was even quicker and was the fastest by an England batsman against Pakistan in Tests, beating the record of 42 balls set by David Gower at this ground in 1992.

It left Pakistan needing a notional 565 to win, although in reality they were battling just to see out the remaining 89 overs needed to take this match into a final day.

In truth that looked unlikely and the odds on a fifth day lengthened further when James Anderson removed both Shan Masood and Azhar Ali to send Pakistan into lunch on 47 for two.

Masood’s dismissal, edging to Cook at first slip, was his sixth against Anderson in as many innings facing the leader of England’s attack.

Azhar was trapped lbw 22 minutes before lunch to hand Anderson his second wicket in the space of 18 balls.

The afternoon was dominated by the concerns over Stokes, who pulled up with that calf injury two balls into his sixth over.

Moeen completed that, Mohammad Hafeez treating him with contempt as he bludgeoned his first ball high over long on.

Stuart Broad checks on the well-being of Ben Stokes during the fourth day at Old Trafford (Getty)

England’s spinner had the last laugh, though, having Hafeez caught at short leg playing defensively to break a 58-run third-wicket stand.

Moeen then profited from Younis Khan’s hubris, the veteran batsman caught at long on slogging as England’s opponents slipped to 102 for four.

The writing was on the wall for Pakistan when captain Misbah-ul-Haq, who scored a battling 52 in his side’s first innings, was bowled by Woakes 12 minutes before tea.

The tourists went into that interval wobbling on 161 for five and, with 38 overs still scheduled for the day, England scented blood.

Woakes then prompted a feeding frenzy when having Sarfraz Ahmed caught down the legside with just the third ball after tea.

By the time Anderson dismissed Asad Shafiq lbw on review in the next over, Pakistan, on 167 for seven, were facing the inevitable.

Yasir Shah, who had showed up Moeen so badly during his 10-wicket display at Lord’s, was then trapped lbw to become the spinner’s fifth victim in this Test.

Root, named man of the match following his first-innings double century, took the ninth Pakistan wicket, Wahab Riaz caught sweeping the England vice-captain’s part-time spin.

Victory was delayed by an entertaining last-wicket stand of 26 between Mohammad Amir and Rahat Ali, but not for long as Woakes had the former caught by Stuart Broad at mid-off.