Stephan Shemilt in Multan, October 12, 2024
First Test, Multan (day five of five)
Pakistan 556: Masood 151 & 220: Salman 63; Leach 4-30
England 823-7 Declared: Brook 317, Root 262
England won by an innings and 47 runs, leading the three-match series 1-0
Jack Leach took the three wickets England required for a record-breaking win over Pakistan and a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.
Though Pakistan began the fifth day six wickets down, Abrar Ahmed was absent through illness, and England was initially held up by Salman Agha and Aamer Jamal adding 109 for the seventh wicket.
Leach needed only four deliveries to trap Salman lbw for 63, then took a sharp caught-and-bowled to remove Shaheen Shah Afridi.
Naseem Shah charged to be stumped, giving Leach 4-30 in his first Test since January.
Record win, record loss
Pakistan’s 220-all-out left England victors by an innings and 47 runs. No team in Test history has ever conceded as many as the 556 as England did in Pakistan’s first innings then gone on to win by an innings.
It means that England has now won on three successive occasions when it had leaked totals in excess of 500. Only once before have England fielded first, been hit for more runs and gone on to win and that was in 1894.
The turnaround was built on a staggering batting effort, when England amassed its highest total since 1938, 823-7 declared. Harry Brook’s 317 was England’s first triple-century for 34 years and his 454-run partnership with Joe Root, who made 262, its highest in Tests.
England has now won four consecutive Tests in Pakistan and can win the series in the second Test on the same ground, beginning on Tuesday, October 15, 2024.
England does it again in Pakistan
England’s 3-0 win in Pakistan two years ago was unprecedented and one of its all-time great series triumphs. In the canon of its best overseas wins, this probably does not quite touch the 2022 opener in Rawalpindi or its defeat of India in Hyderabad earlier this year, yet it will live long in the memory because of the mind-boggling numbers.
Even with the context of an extremely flat pitch and some fragile opponents, England’s batting achievements are astonishing. The victory is made all the more impressive given the tourists’ short preparation time, inexperienced bowling attack and continued absence of captain Ben Stokes.
Stokes stepped up his return from a hamstring injury during this first Test, bowling in the middle during intervals. He looks close to being fit for the second Test.
The skipper would probably come in for one of the three frontline seamers, most likely Chris Woakes, who began England’s acceleration towards victory by bowling Abdullah Shafique from the first ball of Pakistan’s second innings.
The hosts’ unravelling to 152-6 by the end of the fourth day, still 115 behind, meant their only realistic hope on the final day was avoiding the unwanted record for an innings defeat.
Jamal, who was dropped twice on Thursday, was hit on the head by Brydon Carse in the solitary moment of discomfort Pakistan experienced in the first hour.
Salman backed up his first-innings century, only to be pinned on the front pad when England turned to left-arm spinner Leach.
Jamal attacked Carse’s bouncers, producing a steepling top edge that Ollie Pope dropped while back-pedalling from square leg.
But Jamal was left stranded on 55 when Leach got Shaheen and Naseem in the space of four balls, giving England only their second Test win by an innings in Asia, and their first since 1976.
Pakistan plumb new depths
This is another humiliating defeat for Pakistan, which is enduring one of the worst periods in its history. Beaten by the USA at the T20 World Cup in June, Pakistan is on an awful run in Test cricket, its winless streak at home now extended to 11 matches.
This is also its third humbling in as many Tests following Bangladesh’s stunning 2-0 series win here just over a month ago. Overall, Captain Shan Masood has lost all six Tests in charge and is under huge pressure.
In Jason Gillespie, Pakistan’s experienced and calm Head Coach, though even the Australian will wonder how he can inject some confidence into his team.
Their batting is inconsistent, talented pace bowlers Naseem and Shaheen are short of their best and Pakistan wilted in the field, both physically and tactically, in the face of England’s relentless run-scoring.
One certain change for the second Test will be a replacement for Abrar, though his replacement is unclear. Spinners Noman Ali and Zahid Mahmood were released from the Pakistan squad for the first Test.
It is a tight turnaround to the next contest. It is hard to see what Pakistan can do in order to battle back into the series.
Root and Brook were phenomenal: Reaction
England captain Ollie Pope, speaking to BBC Test Match Special: ”Amazing. The way Rooty and Brooky batted was phenomenal. Coming off the field after the first innings we knew 550 was a lot of runs. We did not know how much [the pitch] was going to break up, but it held together pretty nicely and the boys cashed in. We had to find a way of taking wickets, as captain you have to try to get creative and set different plans. That was the main challenge for me trying to find a way of taking 10 wickets and being OK with them getting those runs and keeping your head if someone did get in.”
Player of the Match, England batter Harry Brook: ”How do you score 300 in a Test match? Good question! You have to enjoy batting, build partnerships, keep trying to put the bowlers under pressure. Then take as much fluid on board as possible! It was a good surface as well.”
Pakistan Captain Shan Masood: ”When you put 550 on the board, it is important to back that up with 10 wickets and keep the game close. That is something we did not do. That is what we are struggling with, we are getting into good positions. The onus for us now is to set the game up so we can finish it off.”
Stephan Shemilt is the Chief Cricket Writer for BBC News. The above Report has been published courtesy of BBC News.
