Pakistan romped to a series win over England inside the opening session on day three of the third and final Test in Rawalpindi as they wrapped up a nine-wicket victory.
Noman Ali (6-42) and Sajid Khan (4-69) again combined to devastating effect in sharing all 10 wickets, the latter finishing with 10-for in the match, as England – 24-3 overnight – were bundled out for 112 in their second innings.
The tourists’ scrambled approach against high-quality spin bowling was no more evident than when Ben Stokes (3) fell lbw to Noman when inexplicably shouldering arms to a straight delivery.
Set a paltry 36 runs to win, Pakistan knocked them off in no time, with captain Shan Masood (23no) – under huge pressure to start the series – fittingly getting the job in a stunning six-ball cameo, clinching the most remarkable of turnarounds with a six.
The hosts lost the opening match in Multan by an innings and 47 runs, their sixth straight defeat under Shan Masood’s captaincy and extending a winless run at home dating back to February 2021 – which included a 3-0 whitewash on England’s last visit in late 2022.
Such an embarrassing loss on a desperately flat pitch prompted a switch in approach, with three changes made for the second Test, played on the same now used surface in Multan. Kamran Ghulam came in and cracked a hundred on debut, but it was Noman and Sajid’s introduction which truly turned the series.
With pitches prepared to aid spin, the duo combined to take 39 of the 40 England wickets to fall in the final two Tests to prompt Pakistan’s sudden and sensational change in fortune.
On the third and what ultimately proved to be the final morning of the series decider in Rawalpindi, England had made a reasonably positive start, with Joe Root and Harry Brook – the same pair that combined for an England-record partnership of 454 in the first Test – adding 42 to their overnight score without loss.
It took the tourists to within 12 runs of earning a lead but then another sudden collapse to spin saw Brook, Stokes and Jamie Smith all depart before parity was achieved, England six down.
Brook (26) nicked off to a faster and flatter delivery fired in by Noman, Stokes suffered his spectacular brain fade in the left-arm spinner’s subsequent over, while Smith (3) was bowled by Sajid when looking for the sort of big hit straight down the ground that served him so well during his first-innings 89.
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The wicket of Joe Root falls to Noman Ali, who bags himself a five-for!
Root (33) just about saw England into a lead but the game and the series was as good as over when he become Noman’s fifth victim by feathering a thin edge through to Mohammad Rizwan behind the stumps.
Sajid, kept quiet for the majority of the morning, then clinched his 10-for for the match when bowling both Gus Atkinson (10) and Rehan Ahmed (7), while Noman wrapped up the innings by having Jack Leach (10) stumped.
Chasing only 36 to wrap up the series, England and Leach earned the consolation scalp of Saim Ayub for 8 as Pakistan otherwise quickly knocked off the required runs, Masood blasting his side to victory in just 3.1 overs.
Stokes: England’s approach hasn’t paid off
England captain Ben Stokes:
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England captain Ben Stokes says their aggressive approach against Pakistan spinners hasn’t worked out following the series loss.
“The last two games, we had some challenges thrown at us and a good way to reflect on it is that we weren’t able to stand up to those challenges.
“When that happens, you’re probably going to fall on the wrong side of the result – and that is what’s happened.
“It’s very easy to sit here and say, at the end, when everything’s unfolded, ‘could we have done things a little bit different, comparing ourselves to how Pakistan went about it?’
“But when we walk out on the field, we are very clear with how we want to go about things and I’m sure Pakistan would have been the same.”
“Definitely, in these last two Test matches, our approach hasn’t paid off for us. That doesn’t mean that we’ve doubted our ability or how we want to go out there and play.
“There’s no doubt in my mind or Brendon’s that we have got the best top-six players in England.”
Masood: Special and heartening win
Pakistan captain Shan Masood:
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Pakistan captain Shan Masood says it was a special series win over England and his side did the small things right.
“It’s special. What this team, the management and cricket board have been through in the last two weeks, for everyone to stand up and still give their best, it means a lot.
“At the end of the day it’s about character, people you can trust and who will bleed for you, and Sajid literally bled for us yesterday.
“To be here standing as the winning team, that’s the most special thing for us.
“For me, the biggest thing is progress. It’s great to have some young players come in, with senior players returning too.”
Hussain: Pakistan have exposed England
Sky Sports’ Nasser Hussain:
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Nasser Hussain says the Pakistan spinners are of the highest quality which exposed England when the ball does spin.
“Different pitches and selectors [since first Test] and Pakistan have found the kryptonite to Bazball.
“They have spinners of the highest quality and they have players that play spin really well. It has exposed England when the ball does spin.
“When it spins and it’s gripping, England don’t play spin or bowl spin as well as Pakistan.
“The discrepancy in the England side is a concern. It shouldn’t be so drastic that you play so well on flat pitches, but the moment it grips you can’t play like that and so then you’re lost.
“And three of your top six seem to be lost at the moment. I’m talking about Zak Crawley, Ollie Pope, or even Stokes in Asia… his last 10 scores are very low in these conditions. He used to be our best player of spin.”
What’s next for England?
England’s white-ball side head to the West Indies for three one-day internationals and a five-match T20 series, with the ODIs set to start in Antigua on Thursday, October 31.
As for Stokes’ Test team, they’re next in action in New Zealand for a three-match tour that begins in Christchurch on Thursday, November 28.
Pakistan vs England Test series
First Test: Multan – England won by an innings and 47 runs
Second Test: Multan – Pakistan won by 152 runs
Third Test: Rawalpindi – Pakistan won by nine wickets
