NEW DELHI: Nothing seems to be going Pakistan’s way. After losing a home series to Bangladesh, they have now suffered a crushing defeat to England.
In the first Test against England, Pakistan appeared to be in control, posting a huge first-innings total of 556. However, they crumbled to an innings and 47-run defeat in Multan.
This marked a historic low in Test cricket, as Pakistan became the first team to lose by an innings after scoring over 500 runs in their first innings.
This defeat extends Pakistan’s losing streak in Test cricket to six consecutive matches and their seventh home loss in nine Tests, highlighting their ongoing struggles.
Remarkably, this Test was only the second in history to produce a result despite both teams scoring over 550 runs.
The other was the 2022 Rawalpindi Test, also between Pakistan and England.
In contrast, all 15 previous Tests with two 550-plus totals had ended in draws.
The run rate of 4.51 across the three innings in Multan is the second highest for a Test match that lasted over 2,000 balls, surpassed only by the 4.54 rate in the 2022 Rawalpindi Test between these sides.
Pakistan bowled 150 overs, conceding just one maiden, setting a new record for the most overs bowled in a Test innings with only one maiden.
The previous record was 709 balls (88.5 eight-ball overs) by South Africa against England in Durban, 1939.
England’s monumental 823/7 declared was powered by Harry Brook’s triple century and Joe Root’s career-best 262, leaving Pakistan reeling before they were bowled out for 220 in their second innings, sealing the dominant victory for England.
“We’ve spoken about the third innings or fourth innings, but at the end of the day it’s a team game. Everything has its advantages or repercussions as a team. When you put up 550 on the board, it’s important to back it up with 10 wickets. 220 runs in the third innings, depending on what kind of lead you have can also be a good score. England found a way to get those 20 wickets. We also have to find a way to do that. That’s the challenge a side has to go forward,” Pakistan captain Shan Masood said after the match.
“We’re in the middle of the series, we’ve talked about squad mentality and consistency. No matter how the pitch is, we have to find a way out. England showed that. Sometimes you get conditions in your favour, sometimes you don’t. It’s a non-negotiable of Test cricket to perform on a consistent basis. We love playing the game. We’re obviously hurt by the results, hurt as a nation. I never try and shy away from responsibility. What hurts is that we’re not getting the results that Pakistan cricket deserves. We are trying to turn it around,” he said.
