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England wraps up innings win in tainted test

England wrapped up the fourth and final test against Pakistan before lunch at Lord’s on Sunday, winning a match tainted by allegations of fixing by an innings and 225 runs.

The tourists’ final six wickets fell for the addition of 106 runs on the fourth day to give England a resounding 3-1 series win and Pakistan its heaviest ever test defeat.

Pakistan capitulated to a second-innings 147 after following on, narrowly avoiding becoming the first team dismissed for less than 100 twice in the same test at Lord’s since New Zealand in 1958.

There is no suggestion that Pakistan’s players conspired to lose the match but police have questioned them after British newspaper News of the World alleged in its Sunday edition that they were paid to bowl no-balls during Thursday’s opening day.

‘We’ve seen things that put cricket on the front pages for the wrong reason before and we don’t like it,’ England captain Andrew Strauss said. ‘It’s a shame the series finished in this way. We’re happy to have won but we don’t feel happy. We don’t know whether it’s true or not but it’s not good when the game of cricket is overshadowed in this way.

‘With these sorts of allegations you start questioning things you shouldn’t be questioning. When you achieve something, you want it to be in the best possible circumstances.’

Umar Akmal finished unbeaten on a spirited 79 — 53 more than any of his teammates managed in either innings.

In a sign of the unrest caused by the allegations, the balcony door to Pakistan’s dressing room remained closed oughout the 96 minutes of Sunday’s play, with only a handful of players and officials sitting outside the pavilion.

All trophy presentations took place in the Long Room at Lord’s, rather than on the field in full view of fans. Accordingly, the stadium emptied swiftly after the players left the field.

Azhar Ali and Kumar Akmal fell for the addition of 23 runs before Mohammad Amir, one of the two bowlers at the center of the newspaper allegations, was third man out. The 18-year-old Amir, who 4fsk a career-best 6-84 in England’s 446 all out, was bowled by Graeme Swann for 0.

Swann then lured Wahab Riaz into gifting Kevin Pietersen an easy catch, Stuart Broad ran out Saeed Ajmal with a direct hit and Mohammad Asif — the other bowler facing allegations by the News of the World — became Swann’s final victim. Asif hit the ball onto his right foot, then his left and into Paul Collingwood’s hands.

Swann claimed 5-62 for a place onthe Lord’s honors board, with a total of 9-74 for the match.

‘It’s obviously a bit of a shock for us in the dressing room but we were very focused on what we had to do out there today,’ man-of-the-match Stuart Broad said. ‘The way we did it was very professional and very ruthless. We value every test match.’

Pakistan team management had responded to the fixing allegations by canceling the squad’s customary practice ahead of Sunday’s fourth day and instead giving the players a pep talk by coach Waqar Younis.

It didn’t work.

On a flat batting rack on which man-of-the-series Jonathan Trott and Broad each hit big centuries in a world-record eighth-wicket partnership of 332, Pakistan was dismissed for less than 100 for the fourth time in the series.

Swann excelled in the bowling attack, continuing to turn the ball into the batsmen, but England’s gritty comeback in its final test before starting the Ashes in Australia on Nov. 25 was unfortunately overshadowed by the allegations against Pakistan.

And although England rallied from perilous positions of 47-5 and 102-7 to set a formidable total, serious concerns remain over the form of England’s batsmen after four of the top eight fell without scoring and the openers made a total 23 between them.