England had time to celebrate their series-levelling win at Old Trafford before they must start planning for Ben Stokes' likely absence from next week's third Investec Test.

Alastair Cook's hosts bowled Pakistan out for 234 to seal a 330-run win, even with only 5.2 overs from Stokes before he limped out of their attack.

The all-rounder will have scans on his right calf on Tuesday, but Cook has already conceded he is a "fairly big doubt" to be involved at Edgbaston in eight days' time.

It will be especially frustrating if Stokes is ruled out again, having returned this time only after surgery on his left knee made him unavailable for the preceding Test and two before that against Sri Lanka.

England can be encouraged nonetheless by the emphatic nature of a win which has levelled the score at 1-1, with two to play.

In a match featuring a career-best 254 from Joe Root and a mammoth 506 runs in total from the captain and his deputy, Cook hailed the collective response to defeat at Lord's.

"Clearly when someone gets 250, that does help - but it was a really good (all-round) performance," said Cook.

"(Joe) is a world-class player, and it was a great innings - one of the best I've seen to really set up the game for us.

"I thought the character the guys showed - coming in under pressure after Lord's - to get almost 800 runs for nine wickets, and then bowl them out (twice) for 400, was really good."

As for Stokes, England can only hope for the best.

"It is too early to say," added Cook.

"Stokesy is a pretty tough nut, and he said he felt something go.

"I'd say he'd be a fairly big doubt for Edgbaston - that's fairly obvious.

"If the scan is a good result, he's a tough guy - but that would be a big risk."

Cook's opposite number Misbah-ul-Haq had to reflect on a reversal of fortune, after the highs of Lord's for Pakistan.

"It was difficult to come back in the game facing 600, and then our batting was a big disappointment," he said.

"To get 198 and 234 on a good pitch - you can't take that."

Of all the jarring statistics, the differential between Yasir Shah's 10 for 141 in the first Test and one for 266 in the second was remarkable.

Trying to make sense of it, Misbah believes the leg-spinner will have the resilience to restate his claim as the world's number one bowler.

"It was maybe tiredness, a lot of overs - I don't know," he said.

"It was a big difference. But he is a strong character, and before the next Test he will analyse what went wrong - and come back."