Pakistan and England draw rain-hit second Test

Pakistan’s Mohammad Abbas took two wickets on Monday as a weather-interrupted second Test against England at Southampton ended in a predictable draw.
England were 110-4 in reply to Pakistan’s first innings 236 when home captain Joe Root (nine not out) declared to hasten the end of a match ahead of what would have been the statutory last hour.
Root’s declaration ended a match beset by delays, with the whole of Saturday’s third day washed out completely.
Abbas, who took 2-28 from 14 overs, removed Zak Crawley (53) and Dom Sibley (32).
The batsmen shared a second-wicket stand of 91 after Rory Burns fell for a duck to left-arm quick Shaheen Afridi on Sunday.
England, who enjoyed a three-wicket win in the first Test at Old Trafford earlier this month, remain 1-0 up in a three-match series ahead of Friday’s finale, also at Southampton.
An early morning downpour meant Monday’s play did not start until 1420 GMT.
England were then 7-1, with Sibley two not out and Crawley, playing after star all-rounder Ben Stokes opted out to be with his ill father in New Zealand, five not out.
Crawley, beneath sunny blue skies, confidently pulled and drove the usually accurate Abbas for two well-struck fours.
Pakistan captain Azhar Ali, perhaps wary of risking his frontline quicks in a dead match ahead of the third Test, brought medium-pacer Shan Masood, primarily an opening batsman, into the attack.
Mohammad Rizwan, who had impressed behind the stumps in the first Test before top-scoring with 72 in a man-of-the-match innings in this fixture, then missed a chance to stump Crawley, on 37, off leg-spinner Yasir Shah.