Pakistan had a remarkable series turnaround after losing the first Test, defeating England 2-1.
Pakistan pulled off an incredible comeback to defeat England in the three-match home Test series after losing the opening Test in Multan. Pakistan won the last two Test matches to seal the series 2-1, thanks to the efforts of spinners Sajid Khan and Noman Ali. For the first time in almost 30 years, this enabled Pakistan to achieve a significant milestone. Since defeating Zimbabwe in a similar manner in 1995, Pakistan has never won a three-match Test series after losing the opening Test.
On the third Test day, Pakistan swept to victory in Rawalpindi before midday when Noman and Sajid took all ten of England’s wickets to dismiss the visitors for 112.
Pakistan’s first victory in a home Test series since defeating South Africa in February 2021 was achieved when captain Shan Masood hit five boundaries in six balls, sending Shoaib Bashir over the ropes.
“We’d like to dedicate this to the people of Pakistan, who’ve been through a lot,” Masood remarked after losing his last two series when he took over last year, 3-0 to Australia and 2-0 against Bangladesh.
“Hopefully this will put a smile on people’s faces, and hopefully we can have full houses during matches.”
England thrashed the hosts by an innings and 47 runs in the first Test in Multan, dismissing bowler Naseem Shah and superstars Babar Azam and Shaheen Shah Afridi, making the 2-1 series victory seem unlikely.
Replacements With their combined total of 39 wickets in the next two Test matches, Noman and Sajid completely changed the course of the series. In Multan, Pakistan won the second match by a margin of 152 runs.
“The series victory supported the first victory, which occurred after a long period. It’s unique,” Masood remarked.