England spun to defeat in second Pakistan Test

Second Test, Multan (day 4 of five)

Pakistan 366: Ghulam 118 & 221: Salman 63, Bashir 4-66

England 291: Duckett 114; Sajid 7-111 & 144: Noman 8-46

Pakistan won by 152 runs; three-match bid level astatine 1-1

Scorecard

England were spun retired by Pakistan to suffer the 2nd Test by 152 runs, mounting up a bid decider successful Rawalpindi adjacent week.

Left with the monumental task of chasing 297 connected a dusty Multan transportation re-used from their record-breaking first-Test victory, the tourists were dismissed for 144 earlier luncheon connected time four.

Aided by crisp crook and unpredictable bounce, left-arm spinner Noman Ali claimed 7 of the 8 wickets to autumn connected Friday for an wide 8-46 and lucifer figures of 11-147.

Noman dovetailed with off-spinner Sajid, 2 of the 4 men Pakistan brought into their broadside for this Test. Sajid ended with 9 victims successful the match.

It is lone the seventh clip successful Test past and archetypal juncture since 1972 that 2 bowlers person shared each 20 wickets.

Despite the unsocial conditions and the disadvantage of losing the toss, England tin besides bespeak connected a illness of 8-80 successful their archetypal innings and 2 important dropped catches successful the aforesaid implicit successful the Pakistan 2nd innings.

Intrigue volition present situation the aboveground for the 3rd and last Test, which begins connected Thursday, 24 October.

Pakistan were humiliated successful the archetypal Test, pulverised by England’s batters successful conceding 823-7 declared. It was their sixth consecutive Test defeat, extending a winless location tally to 11 matches.

The effect was extreme. An expanded enactment committee dropped superstar batter Babar Azam, and gait bowlers Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah. The determination to recycle the transportation from the archetypal Test was antithetic though not illegal. In doing that and packing the squad with 3 specializer spinners, truthful overmuch hinged connected a flip that Pakistan won.

That is not accidental this lucifer was decided by the flick of a coin. Kamran Ghulam filled Babar’s shoes with a good debut hundred, portion the charismatic Sajid and close Noman were relentless successful their introspection of England’s batters.

Given the circumstances, this is simply a decision that England should beryllium capable to motion disconnected rather easily.

Still, they had their moments. They reached 211-2 successful effect to Pakistan’s 366 acknowledgment to a good period from Ben Duckett. First-innings parity would person fixed them a beardown chance, truthful to past beryllium bowled retired for 291 is disappointing connected immoderate pitch.

Then, connected the 3rd afternoon, they had the accidental to bounds their eventual chase, lone for wicketkeeper Jamie Smith and Joe Root to enactment down straightforward chances disconnected Salman Agha successful the aforesaid Brydon Carse over. Salman was successful azygous figures astatine the clip and his 63 enactment the effect beyond doubt.

The utilized transportation was made imaginable by the archetypal 2 Tests being played astatine the aforesaid venue, truthful the determination to Rawalpindi astatine slightest provides an constituent of newness.

But fixed this result, England should astir apt hole themselves for much rotation and person a week to ponder their strategy.