MULTAN: Bold selection decisions and a spin-friendly surface in Multan helped Pakistan secure a series-levelling victory in the second Test against England on Friday.
Pakistan’s 152-run victory, achieved in just over three days, marked their first home win since defeating South Africa in Rawalpindi in February 2021. This triumph, the first under Shan Masood’s captaincy, provided a much-needed morale boost for a team that had recently endured a 2-0 whitewash at home against Bangladesh.
“The first win for me and long-awaited for the team is always special,” Shan stated. “This comes after some tough times, and the boys stepped up despite everything that has happened over the past week.” The captain, who faced significant pressure in cricket-mad Pakistan, added, “We devised a strategy to take 20 wickets, and we made it happen. We were never afraid to take risks. Three years and 11 months of waiting create hunger, so it’s good to win at home.”
Pakistan’s victory was facilitated by bold selection choices following their innings defeat in the series opener in Multan. After that setback, Pakistan took the drastic step of dropping batter Babar Azam and pacers Naseem Shah and Shaheen Afridi, who had been off-form recently.
This risky move paid off, with Kamran Ghulam, replacing Babar, impressing with a superb century in the first innings of his debut Test. “It’s never easy when you’re replacing one of the best batters in the world,” Shan remarked about Kamran, who faced social media trolling after his selection. “I read some horrid things even before he played his first Test match. I can’t imagine the pressure he was under, but we supported him, and he proved he belonged.”
Pakistan’s decision to rely heavily on spin, with Aamer Jamal as the lone seam option, was also vindicated on the turning track at the Multan Cricket Stadium. Off-spinner Sajid Khan and left-arm spinner Noman Ali shared all 20 England wickets, a rare feat in Test cricket. Noman took 8-46 to finish with a match haul of 11 wickets, while Sajid Khan added 2-93 to his first-innings 7-111 as they bowled England out for 144 after setting a target of 297.
“We haven’t played much Test cricket in Multan; the only other Test here two years ago also offered some spin,” said Shan. “Noman and Sajid are seasoned campaigners, so we decided to try something different.”
Shan hopes the conditions will produce another spin-friendly wicket for the third and final Test in Rawalpindi next week. “There’s no autumn in Pakistan; it’s summer transitioning into winter, so we hope the sun will dry the wicket,” he explained. “I don’t think I’ve seen it turn much in Rawalpindi, but we’ll check with the groundsmen to create a good test wicket where both teams can take 20 wickets.”
TOUGH ASK
England, who scored 291 in their first innings, started the fourth day at 36-2. They managed to add only 108 runs before being bowled out. “When Pakistan was ahead, they could really press their advantage,” said England skipper Ben Stokes. “We took the game on, but it was a tough ask. Pakistan’s spinners made it difficult to control the run rate and set fields, but we found ways to handle the spin in parts.”
In just the second over of the day, Sajid removed Ollie Pope with a sharply turning delivery and caught a miscued drive off his own bowling. Noman then trapped Joe Root and Harry Brook leg-before, leaving England struggling at 78-5. Noman’s fourth wicket came when Jamie Smith’s slog sweep was caught by Masood. Stokes and Brydon Carse added some resistance, but Stokes was stumped comically, and Noman wrapped up the match with the last three wickets, improving on his previous best of 7-70 against Sri Lanka.
The final Test starts on October 24, and Stokes is optimistic. “Next week will be good. I’m sure everyone has enjoyed watching this match, and we hope to get a win next week and secure another series win.”
SCOREBOARD
PAKISTAN (1st Innings): 366 (Kamran Ghulam 118, Saim Ayub 77; J. Leach 4-114, B. Carse 3-50)
ENGLAND (1st Innings): 291 (B. Duckett 114; Sajid Khan 7-111)
PAKISTAN (2nd Innings): 221 (Salman Ali Agha 63; S. Bashir 4-66, J. Leach 3-67)
ENGLAND (2nd Innings, overnight 36-2):
Z. Crawley st Rizwan b Noman 3
B. Duckett c Rizwan b Sajid 0
O. Pope c&b Sajid 22
J. Root lbw Noman 18
H. Brook lbw Noman 16
B. Stokes st Rizwan b Noman 37
J. Smith c Shan b Noman 6
B. Carse c Salman b Noman 27
M. Potts not out 9
J. Leach c Abdullah b Noman 1
S. Bashir c Abdullah b Noman 0
Extras: (B-3, LB-2) 5
Total (all out, 33.3 overs) 144
Fall of Wickets: 1-1 (Duckett), 2-11 (Crawley), 3-37 (Pope), 4-55 (Root), 5-78 (Brook), 6-88 (Smith), 7-125 (Stokes), 8-138 (Carse), 9-144 (Leach)
Bowling: Sajid 17-0-93-2, Noman 16.3-1-46-8
Result: Pakistan won by 152 runs.
Player-of-the-Match: Sajid Khan
