by The Independent.
England 446 Pakistan 74 & 147 (England win by an innings and 225 runs): Series win irrelevant as no-ball scandal engulfs Pakistan's Asif, Aamer and Butt
Yesterday at 12.36pm England won the fourth Test against Pakistan by an innings and 225 runs to complete a commendable 3-1 win in the series. Nobody cared.
The players shook hands desultorily, the spectators applauded politely but not enthusiastically. The epic events of the match, some of the type to be witnessed in a sporting arena only every thousand years or so, had been consumed by other matters.
Overnight, with Pakistan on 41 for 4 and already in a hopeless position, damning allegations had been made of sharp practice of the gravest sort. In the immediate short term, they put at risk the series of limited-overs matches that is due to take place between the sides starting next Sunday, but there are potentially much wider repercussions for a sport which has already been split asunder once by match-fixing.