England's seam bowling attack proved decisive on the second day of the second Test at Lord's, pushing the home side toward a series triumph over Pakistan. The quartet of Ollie Robinson, Jofra Archer, Josh Tongue, and Gus Atkinson demonstrated the growing strength of England's fast-bowling options.
Pakistan was dismissed for 110 runs in their first innings. Azan Awais was the only batter to surpass 20, scoring 46. The extras contributed the second-highest score for the visitors. Robinson led the charge with figures of 4-11, supported by Archer's 3-26, which came with considerable pace. This performance followed England's first innings total of 290, giving them an 180-run lead.
In their second innings, England reached 81-3 by the close of play, extending their overall lead to 261 runs. Early wickets saw England at 13-2 before a 47-run partnership between Emilio Gay and Joe Root stabilized the innings. Root was dismissed lbw by Mohammad Ali for 24, marking a recurring dismissal for the batsman against seam bowlers. Harry Brook survived an lbw appeal on the first ball he faced from the same bowler. Gay remained unbeaten on 30, looking to secure a substantial score. The prevailing weather forecast for Saturday suggests play might be limited, potentially hindering England's ability to further build their advantage.