WITH the way this Test has progressed, there seems no doubt in anyone’s mind that England are well-poised for a win which will see them walk into the third Test at the beginning of the next month with honours even.

From the first day to the end of play on Sunday they have been firmly on top, having hoisted a massive first-innings to total before bowling Pakistan out cheaply to take a formidable 391-run lead.

With follow-on imminent, England skipper Alastair Cook decided to take the other option. Even if he’d decided to enforce the follow-on, Pakistan couldn’t have done much as, barring some divine intervention, they stare at a humbling defeat.

It’s their batting which let them down, again.

Already four wickets down at the start of the third morning, they needed partnerships.

Shan Masood had defied England on Saturday but the opener, not a technically-accomplished batsman, dished out a simple catch to the slip cordon and fail again.

Asad Shafiq had impressed at Lord’s in the first Test.

He promised another productive presence in the middle but without having settled down he committed himself to an outlandish drive off a delivery which was way short of length and paid the price.

Had captain Misbah-ul-Haq not been at the crease long enough to carve a half-century in a partnership with Wahab Riaz, Pakistan would’ve been even far behind England.

On a pitch as slow-paced as Old Trafford, Pakistan batsmen should have done a lot better than they did at Lord’s.

At wickets such as this, it is important to stay at the crease for a while, measure the pace, bounce or turn before lashing on to a drive.

No team is a better judge of the conditions in England than England and they used them to the best of their ability.

Cook’s men are no strangers to this situation and have, in the last few years, shown the ability to turn the game — and the series, against both Australia and India — around.

They have again shown the tenacity and the resilience to strike back.

If only Pakistan had that kind of consistency, things for Misbah’s men would’ve been a lot rosier.

Despite being the world’s most mercurial cricket team, Misbah’s team need to understand they have a tough opposition to tackle and are left with little or no scope for complacency.

A loss at Old Trafford, though, isn’t the end of the world for them. They need to stick together and come back stronger.

Published in Dawn, July 25th, 2016