Pakistan’s first Test at Lord’s since 2010. And what a sparkling and brilliant victory after 20 years. Underdogs Pakistan literally took the wind out of England sails when skipper Misbahul Haq and his charges overpowered the hosts by 75 runs in the first Test at the historic Lord’s Ground on Sunday. Hopes were not high keeping in view the batting performance of the national squad in away series. But Misbah and his men turned the tables on their opponents and gave marvellous performance in a gripping encounter, fought in excellent spirit and holding the attention of the fans throughout. The Pakistan batting, which had misfired frequently abroad many a time, was able to set a formidable target for the opponents. And the bowlers led by Yasir Shah provided a masterclass to bowl England out for 207. Back from a five-year ban for spot-fixing, fast bowler Mohammad Amir sealed victory when he clean bowled Jake Ball. England had never chased down such a total at Lord’s and when Jonny Bairstow was still at the crease they appeared to still have a chance but he was undone by Yasir when he was two short of his half century. With Chris Woakes producing yet another display of outstanding attacking swing bowling, Pakistan’s second innings listed and creaked, and they came close to capsizing. But at the close, Pakistan had ridden out the jitters and found sufficient resistance from their lower-middle order to put themselves in a position of undeniable dominance. To the surprise of many, except the top order, Pakistan batting not only showed masterclass of technique and timing but immense stamina throughout their innings. Openers Mohammad Hafeez and Shan Masood were disappointing. However, Asad Shafiq, Sarfraz Ahmad and Yasir batted brilliantly to keep Pakistan hopes alive. With a lead of 283, and on a surface that was beginning to offer both turn and variable bounce, Pakistan knew as well as England that – in the legspinner Yasir, not to mention a potent trio of left-arm seamers – they had an attack that can wrap up a first victory at Lord’s since 1996. And they accomplished that in a big manner as the Pakistan bowlers and fielders held their cool. Pakistan were given the edge when Rahat Ali claimed first three scalps: Alastair Cook, Alex Hales and dangerman Joe Root. England’s problems stemmed largely from Yasir’s control. With little in the way of big spin on offer, line and length – allied to natural variation and the odd ripper – were sufficient to run through the England batting order. The England’s batsmen struggled to build partnerships. It was superb as Misbah’s irrepressible side took the ten wickets they required for victory on the fourth day, four of them going to the talismanic Yasir on the way to match figures of 10 for 141 in his first Test match outside of Asia. The end was nigh after that as the final three wickets went down for 12 runs. The biggest story behind Pakistan’s success in the first Test was how well they read the conditions and how well they selected their playing eleven. Their performance in the field was equally selfless. In the end, the 283-run challenge thrown by Pakistan proved insurmountable for England. The triumph was also able to lessen the pain that they had experienced on the same ground when the spot-fixing scandal erupted six years ago. No doubt, the win has given Pakistan the psychological edge going into their second Test starting in Manchester on Friday.