England won by 167 runs

England's series-clinching win came about thanks to a huge helping hand from the tourists - not just because they imploded inside 48 overs after being 62 for two from 20 overs, but also because they did Andrew Strauss a favour by bowling England out at the end of the fourth day.

Had England ended that day with 323 for seven or eight wickets, there is no doubt Strauss would have done exactly the same as at Lord's, when he batted into the fifth morning and let Pakistan off the hook.

Strauss is a great man for "the positives" - now the buzz word - and he was brazen enough at the end of the fourth day to say that "at least we now have a chance of a second new ball with 90 overs to bowl." A luxury he denied his bowlers in the first Test by a late declaration.

Not that it mattered yesterday as everything fell into place for the home side. And how well they did to capitalise and so registered a much better win than 11 days ago at Headingley.

The margin there was by a massive innings and 120, but the bouncy pitch there was freakish, unlike this strip which provided a terrific Test match. The Leeds public did the match proud by turning out and filling the ground, not knowing which of four results they might see.

Pakistan's young openers have been an irrelevance in this series, and so they were yesterday with Salman Butt hitting Matthew Hoggard for four fours before he nicked one to Marcus Trescothick at slip. He has now overtaken Graeme Hick as England's fifth most successful catcher behind Colin Cowdrey, Ian Botham, Walter Hammond and Graham Gooch. The Somerset man has 92 catches in 75 Tests, a better ratio than anyone above him, and he has plenty of power to add.

Younis Khan, inexplicably awarded the Man of the Match award ahead of several victorious cricketers, flailed about him at everything as though it was a 50 overs game. Four times in one over from Steve Harmison he could have edged to Chris Read.

Taufeeq Umar was the first of Monty Panesar's three wickets, caught bat-pad by Alastair Cook and, at 52 for two with Mohammad Yousuf joining Younis, the crux of the game had arrived. They needed to get at least halfway towards their record 363 first innings partnership, because Inzama-ul-Haq could not bat until tea, or the fall of the fifth wicket.

It all became academic when Younis was responsible for the most brainless run out of the four that Pakistan gifted England in the match. He played one straight to Paul Collingwood, no more than 20 yards from the bat at point. A three-legged combination of Harmison and Panesar would have run his partner out, but it was bagatelle for the best point fielder in world cricket, who won the referred decision by at least a foot.

From that moment, it was just a case of whether Pakistan could hold out for a draw, but Mahmood had one of those days when he bowled much better and got maximum reward, twice taking two wickets in an over. The first was a real strangle, Faisal Iqbal caught leg side by the impeccable Read, and then Kamran Akmal completed a miserable match by edging another catch to his counterpart.

At 80 for five, "Inzy" was allowed in just before lunch, and the first seven overs after the break brought 28 runs with Strauss rightly refusing to break up his attacking fields. Younis had now settled in and something special was needed to shift him, and Panesar provided it with an unplayable ball that deserves to be bracketed with Shane Warne's "ball from hell" that did for Mike Gatting.

This one drew Younis forward, pitched middle and leg and spun past the bat to graze the top of off stump. Unplayable, and classical bowling from the best, natural left arm spinner England have had since Phil Edmonds and Derek Underwood.

The match was then over as a contest, but not before "Inzy" became involved in yet another run out - Mohammad Sami was the sacrificial lamb this time - and Mah-mood came back for another quick fire double.

The game needed a big finish and it got it. After four balls from Panesar, Strauus brought the field in to save the single. "Inzy" tried to hit a six, but was beaten and Read did the rest. Not bad for the new 'keeper; four catches, a stumping, 93 runs and he did not concede a bye.

A good team win and well deserved.