There is not a lot of wind in Multan at this time of year, but the strong breeze that blew across the ground at the end of this Test match was the collective sigh of relief from the Pakistan management.
Their decision to bet the house on winning the toss on a reused pitch and packing their team with spin paid off handsomely with Pakistan’s first Test victory since February 2021, when the UK was still living under Covid lockdown rules.
It ended a run of four draws and seven defeats since then – four of them to England – and sets up a series decider in Rawalpindi next week.
Even this England side’s self belief was stretched by the task of knocking off 297 on a day-nine pitch and they did not last long, bowled out before lunch. They resumed on 36 for two but their last eight wickets disappeared in 22 overs, England all out for 144, losing by 152 runs.
When Ben Stokes was stumped halfway down the pitch, swinging like an Olympic hammer thrower with his bat flying out of his hands and ending up at square leg, it summed up England’s frustration with a rogue pitch and a dice weighted against them once they lost the toss.
You often see U-turns on the roads around the stadium in Multan but none as sharp as Pakistan’s for this Test. A week ago they talked up seam and green pitches. Now, in desperation, they ripped everything up, and put their faith in spinners that were nowhere near selection for the first Test.
Sajid Khan and Noman Ali responded by taking all 20 wickets, the first spinners to do that in Test cricket since Laker and Lock at Old Trafford in 1956, and the first bowlers of any description since the Lord’s Ashes Test of 1972. Off-spinner Noman finished England off with eight for 46, taking the last seven wickets to fall, wrapping it up with two in two when last man Shoaib Bashir was caught close in first ball.
England will brush off this defeat, because of the unique circumstances. Whereas Pakistan will feel a great sense of relief after victory, the first for captain Shan Masood in seven Tests, and will hope it has reminded them how to win again.
England have good memories of Rawalpindi after their miraculous win two years ago, and Pakistan have a dodgy record there with just two victories since 1998. The pitch has lost all its life since it was deadened for a Test against Australia two years ago to neuter their seamers. They cannot recycle an old surface because the domestic season has not started yet. Tony Hemming, the Australian who was appointed this summer to oversee all pitches in Pakistan, left this Test after day one to oversee preparations in Rawalpindi and the order from the team management will be obvious. The scarifier will be working hard.
Pakistan outplayed England over four days, from winning the toss to batting with great application on day one, surviving a stern test of reverse swing. Their debutant century maker Kamran Ghulam showed the verve of a new boy desperate to impress, compared to the tired sense of resignation from the star he replaced, Babar Azam while off spinner Sajid Khan brought a real spikiness to their attack, bowling with the bristling aggression of a fast bowler, and Noman the wiles of a 38-year-old pro.
Their spinners completely outbowled England’s, although with the aid of more helpful conditions of course. They had the best times to bowl but still extracted more out of the pitch.
England never recovered from the 15 minutes of carnage on day two when they lost four for 14 in 18 balls, ripping the heart out of their batting: Duckett, Root, Brook and Stokes. From a good position at 211 for two, England subsided to 291 all out, conceding a 75-run deficit that decided the game, and were pretty poor form that point onwards.
They made crucial errors. To win after losing the toss on a recycled surface, catches had to stick, half chances needed to be taken. In the first innings they failed to review Mohammd Rizwan on six and it cost them 35 runs, and the regulation catches dropped off Salman Agha on four and six were galling as he went on to make 63 and stretch the target from something gettable to out of reach.
A week ago England scored 827. This time they were bowled out twice for a combined 435. With such fluctuating outcomes and an unprecedented use of an old pitch, it is hard to draw too many conclusions but at least the series is alive and that is not a bad thing for Test cricket.
08:37 AM BST
Brendon McCullum talks to Sky Sports
Tough few days in terms of the result but I thought we did a lot of things well. The conditions are extreme and it would have been lovely to win the toss. I don’t think it was a hundred to zero toss [ie a guaranteed victory] more 65-35 but credit to Pakistan. They were able to get enough runs in that first innings and the way their spinners operated [was superb].
It was always going to be difficult to chase 290 on a day nine pitch with [those] two [experienced] spinners.
The method of sweeping and reverse sweeping, taking it to the opposition, was the only way. If we could get the scoreboard rattling over a little bit quicker than they were comfortable with, we anticipated that a bit of pressure would come on. But we were unable to get there.
You won’t get tougher conditions to keep wicket in and Jamie’s disappointed to miss that catch. But take that out and I thought his keeping was as good as you’ll see in these conditions. Even for a local keeper never mind a foreign keeper. You have to have the ability as a keeper to turn the page very quickly and focus on the things you’ve done really well. Ninety-nine per cent of what Jamie did has been outstanding in this Test.
I wouldn’t say Brydon has surprised me. He had a reputation on coming in of having a big heart, would keep charging and had steepling bounce but to be able to do it in England is one thing but to do it in 40C heat on a pitch that did nothing [for him] is outstanding.
08:27 AM BST
Interesting stat
No one understands Pakistan’s selection whether good or bad.
Pakistan have won their last three Tests with Noman Ali in the side and lost their last six without him in the side
— Ben Gardner (@Ben_Wisden) October 18, 2024
08:23 AM BST
Shan Masood speak at the presentation
The first one is always special, after some rough times, For the boys to step in, a lot has happened this past week, but we came up with a strategy to get 20 wickets and we made it happen. Three years and 11 months creates hunger [it’s actually three years and eight months], can’t doubt the effort and commitment, it’s come after some tough times, put plans in place and backed up with decent first and second-innings scores.
We tried green seamers against Bangladesh and were a bit off. It offered some spin here and Noman and Sajid are seasoned campaigners. For Kamran, it is never easy to replace one of best batters in the world [Babar]. I read some things that were horrid even before the game, but to get that century was special. And Agha is one of my favourite players. A team player, Pakistan all-in.
08:19 AM BST
Ben Stokes speaks again at the presentation
Ben Duckett’s first-innings hundred showed us the way to win this match. We would have liked to go on, myself and some of the other guys who got starts. I don’t like to live by hindsight. No one means to drop catches. You don’t get them very often behind the wickets [in Asia]. You take them and it might have been closer, But no one wants to drop catches. Good to get through this game. Worked very hard to get fit fr this game. Nothing can prepare you for being out there in this heat but [Im fine].
08:14 AM BST
Sajid Khan wins performance of the match
And player of the match, separate awards. Noman Ali is thrown a bone of ‘bowler of the match’. Given the post-match interviews with Sajid is in Urdu, I cannot help you I’m ashamed to say.
08:11 AM BST
Ben Stokes speaks to Sky Sports
It was going to be a massive task for us given the wicket. We knew what chasing it down would take. [Anyone who had prospered on it] had got the broom out, sweeps, reverse sweeps. Incredibly tough conditions to eke it out. it felt like there was a ball with your name on it.
For us it was about chasing it down not eking it out. It was always going to be a big toss on a day six pitch before a ball had been bowled. They got a big score on the board, Ben Duckett’s contribution was magnificent but we lost quick wickets.
Two hundred would have been tough on that but you have to give them credit for the way they played last night.
It was always going to favour who won the toss. I always call tails and I won’t change that. I though [our] spinners bowled incredibly well but so dd Brydon Carse, Incredible really.
[Pitch good fro Test cricket/] For spectators it’s always better than watching the ball gong straight on.
I know what it means to drop catches but it goes to show how important catches are on the subcontinent. I apologised to the group last night, I was angry with myself for doing it [showing his frustration when Smith and Root dropped Salman Agha]. It won’t happen again.
08:02 AM BST
The next Test starts on Thursday
In Rawalpindi. But stay tuned here on this page for all the reaction from the ceremony and Sky’s interviews with the England players and management team, plus on Telegraph Sport, later, Nick’s match report, Will Macpherson and Scyld Berry. Michael Vaughan and Sir Geoffrey Boycott will also be writing today and over the weekend.
07:50 AM BST
Ben Stokes loses his bat
07:48 AM BST
Pakistan win by 152 runs
A first Test victory at home since February 2021 and Noman ends with match figures of 11 for 147 and Sajid nine for 204.
The pitch was entirely in the spinner’s favour but they outbowled Leach and Bashir and Pakistan’s batsmen, Kamran Ghulabd and Salman Agha in particular, outbatted England too.
07:45 AM BST
Wicket!
Bashir c Shafique b Noman 0 Golden duck. Caught at short leg.
07:42 AM BST
Wicket!
Leach c Shafique b Noman 1 Ten wickets for Noman in the match. Thick inside edge into the pad and snaffled at short leg. FOW 144/9
07:42 AM BST
ENG review
Leach c short leg b Noman Looks like a spurious review.
07:41 AM BST
OVER 33 ENG 144/8 (Potts 9 Leach 1)
Potts sweeps for a single and Leach gets off the mark with a punch to cover. Sajid, who has one of the six wickets to fall so far today and is burning to get that 10th in the match, is frustrated by Potts thumping reverse sweep for four.
07:38 AM BST
OVER 32: ENG 138/8 (Potts 4 Leach 0)
Now Noman also has nine wickets. No Test has ever had two bowlers getting 10-fors but Noman and Sajid could pull off a unique ‘joint Laker’ here.
07:35 AM BST
Wicket!
Carse c Salman Agha b Noman 27 Strange review. Carse must have thought he hit the ground rather than the ball as he skipped down the pitch and, wound up, tried to smack the ball over mid-off. It all but took a chunk out of the bat. FOW 138/8
07:34 AM BST
ENG review
Carse c slip b Noman
07:31 AM BST
OVER 31: ENG 138/7 (Carse 27 Potts 4)
Sajid is swept for a single by Carse and Potts gets off the mark with a fine sweep, elegantly whacking it over short leg for four.
07:30 AM BST
OVER 30: ENG 133/7 (Carse 26 Potts 0)
Noman, who ends the over with 15-0-46-5, is taken for a single by Carse and curses his luck when Potts inside-edges into his pad, saving him from a leg-before shout. The appeal, stalling halfway up the throta, turns into an anguished yelp.
07:26 AM BST
OVER 29: ENG 132/7 (Carse 25 Potts 0)
Brydon Carse is going to be around in this side for a while. Having come down to smite Sajid, still one short of his deserved 10-for, for two sixes earlier, he slog sweeps him for another here.
Carse is pinned by a ball that was missing leg stump and Pakistan burn a review and the Durham all-rounder ends the over by sweeping for a single.
07:25 AM BST
NOT OUT
Turned too much as Carse was beaten on the inside edge, pushing forward. Missing leg stump.
07:24 AM BST
PAK review
Carse lbw b Sajid
07:21 AM BST
OVER 28: ENG 125/7 (Carse 18 Potts 0)
Stokes, having reverse-swept Noman for four, changes tack and goes on the charge when Noman flights one. Stokes collapses and walks off, having been handed back his bat, shaking his head. No wonder they change their gloves so often. Not often enough!
07:15 AM BST
Wicket!
Stokes st Rizwan b Noman 37 Extraordinary! Objectively hilarious. Stokes charges down aiming for long on or cow corner but the bat slips out of his sweaty palms and is launched over midwicket. He shouts ‘Oh, no!’ and is stranded by a metre as Rizwan, not distracted by the circus, whisp off the bails. FOW 125/7
07:14 AM BST
OVER 27: ENG 121/6 (Stokes 33 Carse 18)
While England will all but certainly lose her, they can take some solace from Stokes’ innings. This new approach to subcontinental batting is making him look far more effective than he did in the first four Tests in India last winter. Nice, chunky, orthodox sweep, earns him four and he uses his height to scrape a single off a thick inside edge. Carse, too, gets out the broom and sweeps for two.
07:11 AM BST
OVER 26: ENG 114/6 (Stokes 28 Carse 16)
Stokes tries three times to reverse sweep Noman, misses twice and then connects, diverting the ball past slip for two. He tries the Carse approach by skipping down but the ball turns and he wears it on the pad, can’t beat the infield with another attempted reverse then shuffles back to whisk a single square.
07:08 AM BST
OVER 25: ENG 111/6 (Stokes 25 Carse 16)
Carse is tired of the manacles and staying in his hutch so uses his feet and smacks Sajid for successive sixes down the ground to bring up England’s hundred and then uses the slog sweep – variety is the spice of life – to cuff the off-spinner for two. Nice counter by Carse. Desperate predicament but at No8 it’s better not to die in bed. Nelson!
07:05 AM BST
OVER 24: ENG 96/6 (Stokes 24 Carse 2)
Stokes hammers a reverse sweep for four so Noman finally changes the angle, coming round the wicket to the left-hander, bowling outside leg. Stokes reverses again but without imparting the power of his previous stroke, patting it for a single. Noman flights a couple to Carse and then goes flatter and slower, beating Carse’s attempt to slog sweep but the ball bounces over off stump.
Here are a couple of the wickets:
07:00 AM BST
OVER 23: ENG 91/6 (Stokes 19 Carse 2)
Too much going on here. Stokes trusts his Durham team-mate and takes a single off the first ball. Carse survives a first-baller on review and then is tied in knots for a couple of deliveries, almost done like Brook by the quicker one, but gets off the mark when Sajid goes wider and he slaps a drive for two.
06:57 AM BST
NOT OUT
It was pitching in line but the off-break was going down leg. Carse avoids having to join the Primary Club… on this occasion.
06:56 AM BST
ENG review
Carse lbw b Sajid Sweeping and hit on the left ankle. In line?
06:56 AM BST
OVER 22: ENG 88/6 (Stokes 18 Carse 0)
Having successfully slog swept for four, Smith goes for another and plinks it high to mid-on.
06:53 AM BST
Wicket!
Smith c Masood b Noman 6 Slog sweeps the left-armer, the ball turning away from the right-hander and he cloths it high to mid-on. FOW 88/6
06:50 AM BST
OVER 21: ENG 83/5 (Stokes 17 Smith 2)
Given how long it has been since Pakistan’s last victory in Feb 2021, the home commentators are still talking in terms of ‘if they win’. But as Will says, it feels like there could be a wicket every ball. Three ‘normal’ sweeps glean three singles, two to Stokes.
06:46 AM BST
OVER 20: ENG 80/5 (Stokes 15 Smith 1)
Brook was playing that stroke instinctively on length but Noman darted it in and beat him for pace. It’s a ninth day pitch so it’s bound to misbehave. ‘You give the batsmen leeway in these conditions,’ says Mike Atherton pointing out that there was nothing culpable about the judgment of Root and Brook. ‘But Ollie Pope’s was a really poor shot.’
Pakistan stand on the verge of their first home Test victory for 44 months.
They are in a desperately difficult situation, chasing a big target on what is effectively a day nine pitch. You don’t want to be a sitting duck, and proactivity is probably the right approach. But that doesn’t make it easy to watch. Stokes is still there but it genuinely feels like he could get out any ball.
06:40 AM BST
Wicket!
Brook lbw b Noman 16 Plumb. Undone by the quicker arm ball that skidded on and hit him on the knee as he went back to try to pull it. The ball struck him in front of leg stump. FOW 78/5
06:39 AM BST
ENG review
Brook lbw b Noman Looks stone dead unless he hit it.
06:39 AM BST
OVER 19: ENG 77/4 (Brook 16 Stokes 13)
Stokes paddles to fine leg for two, reverses for two more and then for another single, crouching down, to the point sweeper. Cross bat good, straight bat bad today.
06:35 AM BST
OVER 18: ENG 72/4 (Brook 16 Stokes 8)
Goodness me. After Stokes collars another reverse, belting it for four through point, one rags square from the rough outside off stump to veer across Stokes, beat leg stump and scuttle away for three byes. One can almost hear the ‘kerching’ when Brook is treated to a rare short one and he scythes a cut down to the sweeper for another three while Stokes sweeps for a single to take the strike. I wonder if his successful knee surgery is helping him use the sweep so frequently now.
06:31 AM BST
OVER 17: ENG 61/4 (Brook 13 Stokes 3)
A reverse sweep and a bona fide one earn Stokes a pair of singles, Brook a single and a two, the latter sailing over leg slip off a top edge.
Stokes clearly has a new approach. He likes to play spin off the back foot but is sweeping almost everything he attacks now.
06:27 AM BST
Umpire review for fair catch
Brook c short leg? No. It fell well short.
06:26 AM BST
OVER 16: ENG 56/4 (Brook 10 Stokes 1)
That, as they say, is that. Or at least it has an air of inevitability about it. Then again… it always did. Stokes gets off the mark with a reverse sweep.
06:21 AM BST
Wicket!
Root lbw b Noman 18 Nope, hit him on the right hip. Umpire’s call on impact but given the finger had gone up it cannot save him. Root was sweeping and his bat went over the ball. FOW 55/4
06:20 AM BST
ENG review
Root lbw b Noman Was he outside the line when hit while sweeping?
06:19 AM BST
OVER 15: ENG 53/3 (Root 16 Brook 10)
Brook reads the flight and gets to the pitch to drill a drive wide of mid-off for two then reverse sweeps for four. Nice shot! Takes England to 50 and beyond India’s efforts yesterday! Big turn for the offie has Brook caught at leg slip off his pad but Brook sweeps for a single and prompts Nasser to say that the antidote to that for the bowler is to come round the wicket.
Sajid Khan’s wicket celebration hails from the sport of kabaddi. One leg in the air, one finger pointing down, it is how Pakistan players celebrate scoring in kabaddi. This is the end of my kabaddi knowledge. But suspect we are going to see it a few more times today.
06:15 AM BST
OVER 14: ENG 45/3 (Root 16 Brook 3)
Root shuffles back to whisk a single off his pads then Brook presents a routine catch to the silly point position which is not populated, chipping a defensive off the inside edge into the pad. Brook tries to work the one on leg stump towards midwicket but it turns away and takes the leading edge, landing safely. Brook does splits to sweep low and fine for two to get off the mark then opens the face to glide a single through vacant gully.
06:11 AM BST
OVER 13: ENG 41/3 (Root 15 Brook 0)
Brook shows his intent straightaway, gets down to sweep with his left leg outside the line, misses the ball and steals a leg-bye. Root, too, gets out the broom and is pinned, outside the line then plays that odd sweep variety where he moves his right leg across to go face on and cuffs it for two and then a single in more orthodox sweep fashion.
06:06 AM BST
Wicket!
Pope c&b Sajid 22 This could be over very quickly indeed. Pope who spent some time this morning practising his sweeps, tries to drive Sajid’s off break through mid-off but claws it straight back to the bowler who celebrates by slapping his thigh as though in lederhosen. FOW 37/3
It did just not feel like Pope would last this morning. Sajid and Noman providing a technical examination that he could not pass. Extraordinary bravery, by the way, from Root, to play the wrong-leg-forward sweep to his first ball of the day. These two need to do a good chunk of the work, because it’s Stokes – who has been awful in Asia this year – and rookie Smith to come next.
06:04 AM BST
OVER 12: ENG 37/2 (Pope 22 Root 12)
Noman comes round the wicket, arcing the ball into leg stump. Pope defends with a full face and then, more alarmingly, with the inside edge. Just the short leg and slip in. The next ball, despite the heavy roller, turns away from the outside edge, surprising His Holiness with the bounce, too. Two form blocks follow at non-turners and Pope ends the over driving out of the blockhole, jogging a single to cover.
06:01 AM BST
Out come the players
Joe Root is shadow batting. Ollie Pope getting loose to face Noman Ali.
05:25 AM BST
Preview: The fine art of straw clutching
After 20 wickets in four sessions, the fourth morning of the second Test dawns with England find themselves confronted by a 12-storey crisis with a magnificent entrance hall, carpeting throughout, 24-hour portage, and an enormous sign on the roof, saying ‘This Is a Large Crisis’. In other words 36 for two, both openers gone including the best sweeper currently in the game, 261 runs from victory on a raging Bunsen with Sajid Khan, the most aggressive finger spinner in terms of vitality, swagger and attitude I’ve seen in decades, bouncing in and driving ragging off-breaks into the rough. Not so much crossing a minefield as a minefield in a rake storeroom post-earthquake and at midnight.
There has been much grumbling about the match essentially being decided by the toss but Pakistan have had to pick themselves off the floor after 11 home Tests without a win and fight. They could easily have crumbled on days one, two and three but their tail wagged to give them a competitive score in both innings, Salman Agha cashed in after being dropped twice in three balls and the two finger spinners have done the rest. If we love the game even more than we love a particular team, then it’s win-win. If England manage to win, it’s one for the ages, if Pakistan do so then it’s good for the long-term viability of a vibrant world Test game.
Too many times in the early hours I have written ultimately futile intros clutching at straws as logic insisted that England’s demise was imminent. And one becomes a master of looking for crumbs of comfort, however unlikely. Yet with Ben Stokes and this team all things are possible. In their favour are Headingley 2019 when they chased 362, Trent Bridge and Headingley 2022 when they reached 299 and 296 then three weeks later made 378 for three to beat India at Edgbaston. When all seemed lost at Headingley in the Ashes last year and staring at 3-0 down after three Tests, they rallied to get over the line with 254 for seven. Messrs Pope, Root, Brook and Stokes all played starring roles in one or more of those victories.
Ll were at home, of course, but Root, in particular, is in fantastic nick, played judiciously last night and ought to have the benefit of a pitch temporarily sedated by the heavy roller for the first half-hour. The odds are heavily against them but one last straw, Pakistan have only two bowlers that the captain trusts. They are likely going to have to take all 10 between them. If England can see one of them off, then game on. It is highly unlikely of course but watching them try is always compelling.
