Mark Wood grabbed four wickets as England beat Pakistan by 26 runs in the second Multan Test to clinch the three-match series with an unassailable 2-0 lead. Requiring 355 to win, Pakistan put up a brave fight but were bowled out for 328, making it three Test defeats in a row for them at home, following a loss to Australia earlier this year. Resuming the day at 198/4, Pakistan looked to be going well with Saud Shakeel and Imam-Ul-Haq hitting respective half-centuries and forging a fighting 80-run partnership, but once both batters were dismissed in quick succession, it was always going to be an uphill task.
Shakeel and Imam’s rearguard kept Pakistan’s hopes of a win alive, but Wood’s fiery spell to get rid of both on Day 4 just before lunch pushed England on the brink of win. From 210/5, Pakistan slipped to 319/9 and once Ollie Robinson had Mohammad Ali nicking to Ollie Pope, victory was sealed. Despite the edge, Ali reluctantly signalled the ‘T’ and opted for DRS; because, well… why not? But it nothing but delay England’s celebrations by barely a minute.
But even as the DRS was being taken and the third umpire was going through the process, Stokes prematurely walked up to Ali to shake hands with him. However, the Pakistan No. 11 batter refused to do so. He mouthed a few words to Stokes, probably reminding him that the decision was yet to pop up on the big screen, after which the England captain backed off. Once it was signalled though, the customary handshakes ensued, with Ali congratulating Stokes and England on their victory.
The win marks England’s first occasions of registering back-to-back wins in Pakistan in Tests. For the second time in a row, England have made a Test match interesting. When the day commenced, Pakistan needed 157 runs to win, and England six wickets. In the end, it was the latter that succeeded with Stokes being highly appreciative of the effort that he and his team conjured.
“Obviously, different conditions and differently played games but fantastic to be a part of both the games. We had a look at the wicket and it was tricky against slow bowling, but as the game progressed the cracks opened up and our seamers came into the game. The way in which Jimmy and Robbo bowled in the series and our spinners as well, they are going to deliver more often than not (referring to him not bowling). Amazing debut for Abrar and many congratulations to him. He took 7 wickets but we were still scoring runs against him. I just look around and look at my options and see who gives me the best opportunity to pick wickets,” he said after the match.
While the series opener in Rawalpindi was a run-fest with both teams scoring plenty, the Multan pitch was anything but its predecessor. After bowling England out for 281, Pakistan had a golden chance to take a lead and build on it. But they were rolled over for just 202 with Jack Leach picking up four wickets, and paid the price for it later. Pakistan captain Babar Azam lamented his side’s performance with the bat in the first innings, which eventually ended up being the difference between the two teams.
“We were not up to the mark in the first innings. There were a couple of soft dismissals but were well short of the mark. We fought back with the ball and bat in the second innings but it was not enough. There were a couple of good partnerships but in the end, we did not finish well as a batting unit. It was a dream start for Abrar and he used the conditions well. Looking forward to the Karachi Test and we will do our best,” he said.
