PAKISTAN’S decision to bat first backfired spectacularly as they were bowled out for 72 by England on day one of the second Test at Edgbaston. It was their lowest Test score against England and equalled their fourth worst ever as James Anderson (4-20) and Stuart Broad (4-38) did the damage.
On an overcast day, Pakistan’s fielders gave their bowlers no help by spilling three fairly straightforward chances.
Kevin Pietersen, dropped twice, was unbeaten on 36 as England made 112-2.
The third-wicket stand between him and Jonathan Trott (31 not out) was worth 68 when bad light brought the players off shortly before the scheduled close.
Pakistan had already endured two batting disasters on their tour of England, with a total of 148 against Australia at Lord’s and another of only 88 in the first Test defeat by England at Trent Bridge.

But the theory that things could not get any worse was cruelly exposed on another cloudy day that showed off England’s skilful swing-bowling to the maximum.
Imran Farhat and Salman Butt performed a minor triumph by getting through the first 30 minutes without losing a wicket – despite groping unconvincingly at balls that swung both ways – but six wickets fell before lunch and the procession continued during a murky afternoon session.
The best partnership in the innings was the 10-over stand either side of the interval between Umar Amin (Pakistan’s top scorer with 23) and Mohammad Aamer (12), which produced 27 runs.
The only other man to produce a double-figure score was the mercurial right-hander Umar Akmal, who clipped Broad for a brilliant six over square-leg en route to making 17.
He should have done better than that, but after being given out lbw to Steven Finn, he declined to review the decision despite replays showing he was struck well outside the line of off-stump.

Perhaps the most impressive aspect of England’s bowling was that Finn and Broad were able to equal the threat posed by Anderson, as subtle degrees of late swing in both directions gave a defence-minded batting unit a catalogue of problems.
First to go was Farhat, finally edging Broad to wicketkeeper Matt Prior for a 24-ball duck.
Butt then picked out second slip Graeme Swann off Finn before Pakistan had reached double figures, and Shoaib Malik, promoted up the order, lasted just four balls before he was well caught by Prior who dived across first slip to take a low catch.
With the Mohammad Yousuf soap opera finally resolved – the veteran batsman was not, after all, selected – there was no experienced man on hand to guide Pakistan out of troubled waters.
All of which made it mystifying that Akmal chose not to review the lbw appeal against him, bearing in mind that there was little batting to come and Pakistan still had both their reviews intact.
His dismissal left Pakistan in a horrible mess at 37-6 at lunch, and there was little evidence that they could haul themselves out of the mire.
England could even afford to drop a catch, Swann the guilty party, before the innings was wrapped up by Broad’s removal of Amin – Swann quickly atoning for his error – and three soft wickets for Anderson: Pietersen nonchalantly took two catches at gully either side of a brilliant diving effort by Alastair Cook at mid-off.
Despite no Yousuf recall, Pakistan had made two changes to the team beaten at Trent Bridge, with off-spinner Saeed Ajmal, a highly effective Twenty20 bowler, replacing Danish Kaneria and wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal left out in favour of debutant Zulqarnain Haider.
But with England beginning their reply halfway through their day, the focus was very much on whether Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Asif and Umar Gul could do what England’s three fast bowlers had managed.
Until tea, the answer was no as Cook and Andrew Strauss took England to 43-0 from 11 overs.
But Pakistan finally had a period of fruitfulness early in the final session, as Cook gloved an attempted pull off Asif’s surprise bouncer and Strauss got an inside edge to Amir.
What the tourists could simply not afford now were dropped catches, but chances came and went as Trott and Pietersen were each given a second life before either had reached 10, Farhat (at first slip) and Gul (mid-on) the guilty parties.
Pietersen enjoyed more good fortune when Haider failed with a one-handed dive to an inside edge, and Pakistan looked a dispirited bunch as they trudged off the field. (BBC Sport)
PAKISTAN first innings
I. Farhat c Prior b Broad    0
S. Butt c Swann b Finn    7
A. Ali lbw b Broad    0
S. Malik c Prior b Anderson    3
U. Akmal lbw b Finn    17
U. Amin c Collingwood b Broad    23
Z. Haider c Prior b Broad    0
M. Amir c Cook b Anderson    12
U. Gul c Pietersen b Anderson    0
S. Ajmal not out    5
M. Asif c Pietersen b Anderson    0
Extras: (lb-4, nb-1)    5
Total: (all out, 39.3 overs)    72
Fall of wickets: 1-8, 2-9, 3-12, 4-29, 5-33, 6-36, 7-63, 8-64, 9-67.
Bowling: J. Anderson 14.3-6-20-4 (nb-1), S. Broad 17-7-38-4, S. Finn 8-3-10-2.
ENGLAND first innings
A. Strauss c wkp. Haider b Amir   25
A. Cook c U. Akmal b Mohammad Asif      17
J. Trott not out    31
K. Pietersen not out    36
Extras: (lb-2, nb-1)    3
Total: (2 wickets, 34.2 overs)    112
Fall of wickets: 1-44, 2-44.
Bowling: Mohammad Amir 10.2-36-1, Mohammad Asif 10-1-23-1, Umar  Gul 6-1-14-0 (nb-1), Saeeed Ajmal 7-0-32-0, Umar Amin 1-05-0.