If Misbah-ul-Haq’s men hold onto draw the second Test at the Old Trafford from here on, they will forever be indebted to Alastair Cook’s ‘chicken-hearted’ England for pulling it off, besides, of course, their own magnificent rearguard if ever it comes through.

England made themselves an absolute laughing stock in world cricket on Sunday evening when they chose not to enforce the follow-on against Pakistan despite bowling them out for a paltry 198. With 391 runs in the arrears, Pakistan — by simple law of averages — would have buckled down in a situation as pressure cooker as the one confronting them on the third day.

Instead, to their utter surprise, Cook and company gave the tourists a handsome reprieve by not forcing the follow-on and by coming out to bat again in what must rank as one of the most glaring instances of cowardice in cricket history.

‘Fortune favours the brave’ goes the axiom and since England were not being exactly brave out there at the Old Trafford on Sunday, the rains came pouring down to further spoil their chances of winning the Test and level the series with Pakistan, who went one up in the four-match contest with their magnificent victory at Lord’s.

For the wiser critic, though, the decision despite being absurd, was, in keeping with English cricket given their defensive mindset in recent history that continues to cast aspersions over their ability to take risk and be ruthless in their pursuit of victory.

It is this ‘risk factor’ that quite separates Australia from other teams in the 140-year history of the game. Brilliant, brave, and the best in the business, the Kangaroos never stop at anything once they scent victory. Pakistan, perhaps, are the second such team in world cricket that rarely shies away from taking risks — their inept batting and poor fielding in this Test match notwithstanding.

It would seem a travesty of cricketing logic that just one defiant stand of 50-odd runs — between Misbah and Wahab Riaz — caused England’s game plan to go awry on Sunday. But if that’s the kind of fear Team Pakistan have put into England after Lord’s, it deserves high praise indeed.

Published in Dawn, July 25th, 2016