Pakistan’s spinners overwhelmed England’s batting lineup on Saturday, securing a 2-1 win in the three-match Test series and achieving a long-awaited victory on home soil.
The Green Shirts had taken control since establishing a significant 77-run lead in the first innings on a pitch where spinners from both sides thrived.
Noman Ali (6-42) and Sajid Khan (4-69) dismissed England for a mere 112 in their second innings, setting Pakistan a modest target of 36 to clinch the series.
Though Pakistan lost Saim Ayub’s wicket, they closed out the victory on day three.
England, starting their second innings at 24-3, was unable to withstand Pakistan’s spin attack, led by Noman and Sajid, who claimed all 10 wickets.
Joe Root top-scored with 33 in an otherwise poor display by England on a spin-friendly pitch.
Pakistan chased down the target in just 3.1 overs, with skipper Shan Masood (23*) securing the win to seal the series.
Across the match, Noman and Sajid took 19 of the 20 England wickets, while Pakistan’s sole seamer, Aamir Jamal, was unused, underscoring the spin-favoring conditions.
“Like London buses, they come together,” remarked Masood, referring to the team’s consecutive wins in the series.
“The first win was a long-awaited one, and to follow it up with a series victory is special,” he added.
Sajid, who achieved a 10-wicket haul in the match, was named Player of the Series.
Together with Noman, they claimed 39 of England’s 40 wickets over the last two Tests after being brought in following the opening game.
Significance of the Win
- Pakistan secured its first home Test series victory in almost three and a half years.
- The last home series win was in January 2021, against South Africa.
- This is Pakistan’s fourth home Test series win over England.
- The last time Pakistan defeated England in a home Test series was in 2005.
- Pakistan’s latest Test series win over England breaks an 8-year gap.
- Pakistan last won a three-match Test series against England in the UAE, 2-0, in 2015-16.
- This was the first time Pakistan defeated England at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium.
- England previously won against Pakistan in Rawalpindi in 2022.
- Recently, Pakistan endured home series defeats to Australia (2022), England (2022), and Bangladesh (2024).
Playing XIs:
Pakistan: Abdullah Shafique, Saim Ayub, Shan Masood (c), Kamran Ghulam, Saud Shakeel, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Salman Ali Agha, Aamir Jamal, Noman Ali, Sajid Khan, Zahid Mehmood.
England: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (c), Jamie Smith (wk), Rehan Ahmed, Gus Atkinson, Jack Leach, Shoaib Bashir.
