England vs Pakistan 2020: Zak Crawley Scores Half-Century, Rain-Affected Game Ends in Draw

Zak Crawley struck a half-century as England and Pakistan played out a tame draw in their rain-hit second test at the Rose Bowl on Monday.

Only 134.3 overs were possible in the entire match, which included a 38 over spell late on the fifth afternoon as the sun finally came out, with England finishing on 110 for 4 before the game was called off with no prospect of a result.

Crawley scored 53, his third test half-century, before he was out leg before wicket to Mohammad Abbas (2-28) having put on 91 with Dom Sibley (32) for the second wicket, both gaining valuable time at the crease ahead of the third and final test that starts at the same venue on Friday.

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Opener Rory Burns (0) and Ollie Pope (9) were the other two batsmen dismissed. Pakistan had won the toss and elected to bat, posting 236 in their first innings.

England won the first test in Manchester by three wickets, with this draw ending their run of three successive test wins after beating the West Indies 2-1 in their series played last month.

Meanwhile, the International Cricket Council (ICC) is likely to discuss test cricket’s bad light rules which have been criticised during the England v Pakistan series, a source in the governing body told Reuters on Monday.

Rain and bad light have combined to limit action in the second test between England and Pakistan in Southampton, frustrating players and television viewers hoping for live cricket amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We at the ICC are open to such ideas and the ICC Cricket Committee may discuss the issue in their next meeting,” the source said.

Umpires currently use light meters to determine if the light is “dangerous or unreasonable” to continue playing.

In 2013, ICC member boards rejected the governing body’s proposal of using floodlights to continue a test match in case of fading natural light.

The ICC Cricket Committee has not set a date for its next meeting and any recommendation to use floodlights would require the approval of the ICC Board.