PAK vs ENG: Shan Masood-led Pakistan finally broke their lengthy losing-streak at home with a comfortable 152-run win over England in the 2nd test-match of the three-match series in the city of Multan on the 18th of October. This win marks the Green Shirt’s first test-victory on home-soil since February 2021 and the first under the captaincy of Shan Masood.
This victory for the Shaheens came after making some major changes in their squad following their heavy-defeat in the opening contest of the series, as Pakistan’s new-faces rose to the occasion.
PAK vs ENG: A brief synopsis of the 2nd Test-match
Debutant batter Kamran Ghulam, turned out to be the start of the Pakistani batting-unit, as he played an important inning of 118 runs in 224, which propelled the home-side to a 1st-inning score of 366 runs on a used Multan pitch.
The Three Lions, in reply, started their inning on a strong note and were comfortably sitting at a score of 211-2 on Day two, with Joe Root and Ben Duckett looking comfortable in the middle.
However, off-break spinner Sajid Khan, making a return to the squad, executed a substantial England batting-collapse. His phenomenal seven-wicket-haul restricted the tourists to a score of 291 runs and allowed the home-team take a valuable lead of 75-runs in the first inning.
In their 2nd inning, the Green Shirts managed to score 221 runs, setting England a difficult total of 297 runs on a declining pitch which had shown signs of major deterioration. The batting-lineup of the Englishmen struggled under-pressure, particularly versus the spinners, who made the ball talk on the Worn pitch of Multan.
Slow left arm orthodox spinner Noman Ali was the architect in chief, as he ended the contest with his test-career’s best figures of 8-46 and him along with Sajid Khan destroyed the Ben Stokes-led team for a mere 144 runs score.
The relentless efforts of the duo of Sajid and Noman helped Shan Masood & company secure an impressive 152- runs win, breaking their joint-longest home Test win drought and boosting their position in the overall standings of the World Test Championship 2023-25 cycle.
Updated WTC Points-Table following Pakistan’s win
Pakistan, who had managed to secure just two victories in their previous nine contests in the longest format of the game in the current cycle of the WTC, have now moved from the ninth position to the eighth spot, with points-percentage (PCT) of 25.92.
England on the other hand, despite suffering a defeat in the second test-match, continue to remain at the fourth rank in the overall standings, though their PCT has seen a decline from 45.59
For more information, visit the official website of ICC
