In a much-awaited victory, Pakistan’s cricket team finally clinched a win on home soil after three years, defeating England in the second Test in Multan on Friday (October 18). This marked the first win for Pakistan’s Test captain, Shan Masood since he took over earlier this year. The win came without the presence of star batter Babar Azam, who was controversially dropped for the rest of the series, along with fellow stars Shaheen Afridi and Naseem Shah. Kamran Ghulam made his debut in Azam’s place, scoring a crucial century for the team.
Hafeez takes a dig on Babar and Shaheen
Following the match, former cricketer Mohammad Hafeez took an indirect jab at Babar Azam, saying, “Pakistan cricket needs impactful performances like Kamran Ghulam, Salman Agha’s 50, Sajid Khan’s 9 wickets, and Noman Ali’s 11 wickets for a winning cause. Surely not PR agencies.”
Strong comeback from Pakistan
After suffering an innings defeat in the first Test, Pakistan was eager to bounce back. Shan Masood won the toss and opted to bat first, using the same pitch as the first Test. Debutant Kamran Ghulam led with an impressive 118, while opener Saim Ayub contributed 77, helping Pakistan post 366 in their first innings. Jack Leach took 4 wickets, and Brydon Carse added 3 for England.
England’s batting struggles
In response, Ben Duckett scored 114 for England, but the next highest score came from Zak Crawley with just 27 runs, leading to a total of 291. Sajid Khan dominated the English batting with figures of 7/111, while Noman Ali claimed 3 wickets. Pakistan managed to score 221 in their second innings, with Salman Agha making 63 runs. Shoaib Bashir stood out for England with 4/66, and Leach claimed 3 wickets.
Set a target of 297 runs to win the Test and secure the series, England faltered, collapsing for just 144 runs. Only Ben Stokes (37), Brydon Carse (27), and Ollie Pope (22) offered any resistance. Sajid Khan took 2 wickets, while Noman Ali starred with 8/46, ending the match with a total of 11 wickets.
Celebrating a hard-fought victory
Pakistan won the match by 152 runs, leveling the three-match series at 1-1. Sajid Khan was named Player of the Match for his outstanding performance with 9 wickets. The cricket community widely praised Pakistan’s effort and lauded Shan Masood and the team for their remarkable victory.
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