England clinches series at Lord's as Pakistan faces controversy
At Lord’s, England walked off with the series. Pakistan walked into a storm.
Babar distances himself from broadcast row
Babar Azam insisted he knew nothing of the controversy that swirled around the second Test at Lord’s, batting away suggestions that players had been briefed about a potential threat to the match.
“No, no, no. I haven't heard that thing,” he told BBC Test Match Special after the game, when asked if he was aware of any such discussions. Pressed again on whether he knew of conversations about the Test’s continuation, he offered a single, flat word: “No.”
The interview, conducted by former England captain Michael Atherton, was aired during the lunch interval on the opening day. By then, the match had already been pulled into a political undertow.
Atherton’s 18-minute piece focused on concerns raised by Imran Khan’s sons over the former Pakistan prime minister’s health, treatment and conditions in prison. The Pakistan Cricket Board, under chairman Mohsin Naqvi, had reportedly objected to the broadcast, sharpening the tension around an already high-profile Test at the home of cricket.
The PCB had recently laid down a clear line: no political comments from players on this UK tour, a directive shaped by the fallout from the Imran Khan saga back home. Against that backdrop, the timing and content of the Atherton interview landed heavily.
Yet when the interval ended, Pakistan emerged on schedule. No delay. No visible protest. Just cricketers walking back through the Long Room into a contest that suddenly felt bigger than the scoreboard.
Babar’s stance tallied with that of head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed, who had already said that neither he nor his players were aware of any reported threat to the match going ahead. Whatever was unfolding behind the scenes, the dressing room message remained the same: play on.
England seize the series
On the field, England did exactly that. They played on, and they finished the job with authority.
Set 389 to win, Pakistan never truly got close. They folded for 194, their chase unravelling under sustained pressure. Saud Shakeel fought hard, crafting an innings that came within three runs of a century, but he ran out of partners and, ultimately, time.
The task grew heavier without Imam-ul-Haq. The opener, injured on the first day with a calf problem, could not return to the crease. His absence ripped a hole in Pakistan’s top order and eased England’s route to a decisive 194-run victory.
The win did more than settle a match. It locked up the series. England moved 2-0 ahead in the three-Test contest, taking an unassailable lead and ending a long, nagging wait for a red-ball triumph. This was their first Test series victory since December 2024, a statistic that underlined both their recent struggles and the significance of the result at Lord’s.
The off-field noise never quite disappeared, but it never derailed them either.
Now the caravan rolls on to Birmingham. The final Test at Edgbaston starts on September 9, the series already England’s, the narrative around Pakistan still shifting. The cricket will continue. The questions around it are only just beginning.
