Pakistan registered a series win with a nine-wicket win over England in the opener on day three of the third and final Test in Rawalpindi.
Noman Ali (6-42) and Sajid Khan (4-69) combined again to devastating effect in sharing all 10 wickets, the latter finishing with 10 for the match, with England 24-3 on the night. He recorded 112 hits. In the second inning.
The tourists’ topsy-turvy approach to quality spin bowling was never more evident than when Ben Stokes (3) inexplicably got his arm on his shoulder and fell lbw to Noman when he bowled a straight delivery.
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England skipper Ben Stokes will not want to see this match again. He got this all wrong and was out lbw after leaving a straight ball.
Pakistan, who won by a meager score of 36 runs, dominated them in no time with captain Shan Masood (23no). Under immense pressure to start the series, he settled in with a fitting sixth-pitch cameo to pull off the most notable comeback win. To 6.
The hosts lost the opening match in Multan by an innings and 47 runs, suffering six consecutive defeats under Shan Masood’s captaincy and remaining winless at home until February 2021. This included a 3-0 whitewash on England’s last visit in late 2022. .
This embarrassing loss on an extremely flat pitch prompted a change in approach and three changes were made with the second Test being played on the same surface currently used in Multan. Kamran Ghulam came on board and crossed the 100-run mark on debut, but it was the introduction of Noman and Sajid that really changed the series.
Using pitches prepared to aid spin, the duo combined to take 39 of 40 England wickets, sparking a sudden and surprising change in fortunes for Pakistan in the last two Tests.
In what turned out to be the third and ultimately final morning of the series decider in Rawalpindi, England got off to a reasonably positive start with Joe Root and Harry Brook at the helm. Test – Add 42 to your score overnight without losing anything.
The tourists got within 12 points of the lead, but another sudden collapse saw Brook, Stokes and Jamie Smith all depart before parity was achieved and England finished sixth.
Brook (26) hit a quicker, flatter delivery from Noman, Stokes had a surprising brain fade in the left-arm spinner’s subsequent over and Smith (3) was bowled by Sajid as he looked for a big hit straight of sorts. During his first innings, he scored 89 runs which served him well.
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Joe Root’s wicket fell to Noman Ali, who took 5!
Root, 33, had just put England in front but the game and the series were over when he became Noman’s fifth victim when he hit a thin edge to Mohammad Rizwan behind the stumps.
Sajid remained quiet throughout the morning before reaching 10 in the match, bowling both Gus Atkinson (10) and Rehan Ahmed (7), while Noman embarrassed Jack Leach (10) to end the innings.
With England chasing just 36 to close the series, Leach got Saim Ayub’s consolation scalp for eight as Pakistan quickly knocked out the runs they needed and Masood steered his team to victory in just 3.1 overs.
Stokes: We have been challenged in the last two games.
England captain Ben Stokes:
“It’s disappointing to lose the game and obviously the series.
“We had a few challenges in the last two games and we couldn’t live up to them. Full credit to Pakistan.
“The summer ended late at our house. We had a few players playing one-day series, but look, the players have trained incredibly hard and are always trying to get better. The pressure of Test match cricket can’t compare to the training.”
Hussain: Pakistan exposed Britain
Nasser Hussein on Sky Sports:
“(After the first Test) it was a different pitch and selector and Pakistan found their kryptonite in Bazball.
“They have top quality spinners, they have players who spin really well and when the ball is spinning they expose England.
“When you turn and have good grip, England don’t spin or spin the ball as much as Pakistan.
“I’m worried about England’s gap. It shouldn’t be so extreme that they can play that well on a flat pitch, but the moment they get blocked, they can’t play like that, so they lose.
“And it looks like we’ve lost three of our top six at the moment. I’m talking about Asia’s Zak Crawley, Ollie Pope and even Stokes. His last 10 points are very low in these conditions. He used to be our player. .Best spin player.”
What’s next for England?
England’s white-ball team heads to the West Indies for three one-day internationals and a five-match T20 series. The ODI is scheduled to begin in Antigua on Thursday, October 31.
Stokes’ Test squad will next be in New Zealand for a three-match tour that begins in Christchurch on Thursday 28 November.
Pakistan vs England Test Series
First test: Multan – England wins by 47 runs in 1 innings
Second test: Multan – Pakistan wins by 152 runs
Third test: Rawalpindi – Pakistan wins by 9 wickets
