England completed an extraordinary victory over Pakistan on day five of the first Test in Multan, beating the hosts by an innings and 47 runs.
In defeat, Pakistan become the first team in the history of Test cricket to rack up a score of more than 500 in their first innings and lose by an innings.
Pakistan, who made 556 in their first innings before England replied with their mammoth 823-7 declared, resumed the final day on 152-6, trailing England by 115, with Salman Ali Agha (63) and Aamer Jamal (55no) sharing a 109-run partnership to initially frustrate the tourists.
However, Jack Leach (4-30) struck to remove Salman, trapping him leg-before, after the pair’s century stand had taken the deficit well below the 100 mark.
Pakistan were batting with a man short after spinner Abrar Ahmed was taken to hospital with a fever having missed day four.
Live Test Cricket
Tuesday 15th October 5:30am
Leach then went on to take a stunning catch off his own bowling to dismiss Shaheen Shah Afridi (10) before Naseem Shah (6) was stumped by Jamie Smith as the left-arm spinner claimed the final three wickets despite some aggressive bowling from Brydon Carse at the other end.
England go 1-0 up in the three-match series with the second Test, also taking place in Multan, starting on Tuesday, live on Sky Sports.
Leach spins England to victory
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Jack Leach makes an early impact with his fourth delivery of the day to remove Salman Ali Agha for 63
Pakistan had suffered yet another second-innings batting collapse on Thursday, losing six wickets for just 86 runs, essentially handing England their remarkable victory.
Salman and Aamer both posted half-centuries during their stubborn seventh-wicket partnership which frustrated England in the early hours of day five.
However, Leach made an immediate impact after being brought on to bowl, beating Salman’s inside edge with his fourth ball of the morning.
Salman chose to review the decision, a choice more out of desperation than anything else, with the replay showing three reds and umpire Sharfuddoula Saikat raising his finger again.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Leach takes a rapid catch off his own bowling to dismiss Shaheen Afridi
Ollie Pope dropped Afridi on five at square leg as he attempted to take the catch running backwards, but the mistake cost England very little in the context of the game.
Afridi smashed a wide ball from Leach straight back to him and the England spinner sharply held on with both hands in his follow-through.
Naseem launched Leach over long-off for the first six of the day, giving the home fans something to cheer about, but when he came down the wicket and missed his swipe off the following ball, Smith whipped off his bails to seal the inevitable.
It is England’s fourth straight Test victory over Pakistan after they wrapped up a 3-0 whitewash series win in 2022.
Pakistan fall to new low
Pakistan have not won a home Test match since 2022, having victories in just three of their past 18 matches.
Their top bowlers, Shaheen (1-120) and Naseem (2-157), have been below par and unable to perform at their usual threatening pace.
It was the first time in their history that five Pakistan bowlers conceded more than 100 runs in a Test innings. The hosts only accounted for seven wickets during England’s mammoth first-innings score of 823.
Their former Test captain and one of their best batters, Babar Azam has also been in poor form only managing scores of 30 and five in the first Test.
The 29-year-old has now gone through nine Test matches without scoring a half-century on extremely batting-friendly flat pitches.
Pakistan have not only been inconsistent on the field, but their management has also gone through a number of changes.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Ollie Pope joked England had ‘two greedy Yorkshiremen’ as Joe Root and Harry Brook shared a record stand of 454
Since 2022, the Pakistan Cricket Board has had three chairmen, two Test captains and six permanent or temporary head coaches, with former Australia fast bowler Jason Gillespie being the current.
And it’s not only the red-ball team that has suffered.
Pakistan were knocked out of the 50-over World Cup last year during the group stages. It was the fifth time in the last six editions they have failed to reach the semi-finals.
They arrived at the 2024 T20 World Cup as runners-up at the previous tournament but were defeated by associates and co-hosts the USA in Texas.
There is a tight turnaround with the second Test starting in just four days, also in Multan, with Shan Masood’s side hoping to level the series before the third and final match in Rawalpindi.
Masood: We must learn how to take 20 wickets
Pakistan captain, Shan Masood:
“When you put 556 on the board, it’s very important to back that up with 10 wickets and keep the game close. That’s something we didn’t do.
“If we take those 10 wickets and have England around our score, then the 220 runs we scored on a fifth day becomes challenging for them. That’s the key.
“We’ve got to work things out as a team, how the batting and bowling in the first innings contribute to a lead and hopefully set the match up. That’s something we’re struggling with.
“As a team, we have to improve with our second innings batting but the most important thing, like I said, is learning how to take 20 wickets. That’s the challenge going forward.”
Pope: We knew we needed mammoth score
England captain, Ollie Pope:
“Credit to the bowlers for how they went about their stuff. The fitness they showed – and the same with Joe Root and Harry Brook.
“We knew that the way to win this game was to put a mammoth score on the board. It wasn’t just a lead of 100, it was up towards 300. It was awesome.
“It’s never an easy position to be in, 260-odd runs behind… even if you bat as well as you can and make 400 in that innings, we still would have backed ourselves to chase 140 or so.”
First Test: Multan – October 7-11 – England won by an innings and 47 runs
Second Test: Multan – October 15-19
Third Test: Rawalpindi – October 24-28
Every match from the 2024 Women’s T20 World Cup is also live on Sky Sports from October 3-20 with Australia aiming for a third straight title and seventh overall, and England seeking to triumph for the first time since the inaugural edition in 2009.
Watch day one of the second Test between Pakistan and England in Multan, live on Sky Sports Cricket and Main Event from 5.30am on Tuesday, ahead of play starting from 6am. Stream with NOW
Fabio Wardley’s huge rematch with Frazer Clarke is on the epic Artur Beterbiev vs Dmitry Bivol bill on Saturday October 12 live on Sky Sports Box Office. Book Wardley v Clarke 2 and Beterbiev v Bivol now!
