England lost the second Test against Pakistan by 152 runs, which means the series will be decided in the final match in Rawalpindi next week. England had to chase 297 runs on a difficult pitch in Multan, but they were all out for just 144 by lunch on day four.

Pakistan’s left-arm spinner Noman Ali took seven wickets, ending the match with a total of 11 wickets. He worked well with off-spinner Sajid, who took nine wickets in total. This was a rare occasion in Test cricket where two bowlers shared all 20 wickets.

Despite some bad luck, including losing the toss and dropping two key catches, England struggled with a batting collapse in their first innings. All eyes are now on the final Test starting on 24 October.

Pakistan gamble pays off

Pakistan finally ended their 11-match losing streak at home. In the first Test, they were badly beaten by England, who scored 823-7 declared. It was Pakistan’s sixth loss in a row, and they hadn’t won a match in 11 attempts at home.

Pakistan made big changes after this, dropping star player Babar Azam, as well as fast bowlers Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah. They reused the same pitch from the first Test and focused on spin bowling, which depended a lot on winning the toss, which they did.

However, the match wasn’t just decided by luck. Kamran Ghulam scored a century on his debut, and Sajid and Noman bowled brilliantly against England’s batters.

Even though England lost, they had some good moments, especially when Ben Duckett scored a century to bring them to 211-2. But they couldn’t keep up, and were all out for 291.

On the third day, England missed two easy catches, and Salman Agha’s 63 sealed the win for Pakistan. England will need to rethink their strategy for the next Test, likely facing more spin in Rawalpindi.

England started the day at 36-2, and chasing a target of 297 would have been a great achievement, especially since it would have been their highest in Asia and their third-best away from home.

However, their hopes started fading early when Ollie Pope hit an easy catch back to the bowler, Sajid.

On a difficult pitch and against sharp Pakistan bowlers, England’s best option was to attack, but that played into Noman’s hands. Joe Root was out lbw while sweeping, Harry Brook missed a shot and was also given lbw, and Smith was caught at mid-on.

A chase too far

Ben Stokes tried sweeping every chance he got. Carse hit two sixes in a row off Sajid, and he and Stokes added 37 runs quickly. But Stokes lost control of his bat, fell, and was stumped by Rizwan. Carse edged the ball to slip, and soon after, Jack Leach and Shoaib Bashir were also dismissed, ending England’s run of four Test wins in Pakistan.

 

Sajid and Noman bowled without stopping for 33.3 overs, the longest two bowlers have done so in a Test match since 1956.

Harry Brook was one of eight England players who got out to Noman Ali in the second innings.

England captain Ben Stokes said: “The run chase was very hard from the start. It seemed almost impossible, but considering the tough pitch, we did a pretty good job. Hopefully, we can win next week and take the series.”

Pakistan captain Shan Masood said: “The first win is always special, especially after some tough times. The team worked together well to take 20 wickets, and that’s the most satisfying part.”

England coach Brendon McCullum said: “Pakistan played well in these conditions and made a bold choice with the pitch. We did okay in difficult moments, and there’s a lot to be proud of.”

Former England bowler Steven Finn added: “England won’t dwell too much on this loss. It’s impressive that they didn’t complain about the pitch being reused. Instead, they embraced the challenge.”