England was brutally bowled out by nine wickets as Pakistan took the third Test and an overall 2-1 series victory on the third day at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Saturday.
The tourists were skittled by the Pakistan spinners Noman Ali and Sajid Khan, who reduced England for the lowest-ever aggregate they have garnered in Pakistan, 112 all out at lunch. Resuming at 24/3, day one saw hope dawn for England as Harry Brook and Joe Root came out to bat with purpose, and their early rhythm looked like maybe rescuing England back into the game.
But soon after Brook's edge off Noman, spiralling seven wickets for just 46 runs. Ben Stokes looked out of sorts to be left the ball that had kept low to hit his pads, but a gung-ho charge at Sajid was Jamie Smith's that did underline that England had struggled to respond to Pakistan's spinners on the crumbling pitch. Root's dismissal for 33 – cutting Noman – spelled out the end of any genuine hope that England might have cherished. Pakistans spinners shared all ten wickets between them once more, with Noman taking 6-42 and Sajid 4-69.
Pakistan required 36 for victory at home, completed the target in just 19 balls to win by nine wickets and post the first home win since 2021. The hosts made heavy weather of the opener in Multan, losing by an innings and 47 runs. It was their sixth consecutive defeat under captain Shan Masood, without a win on home soil since 2021 February, as recent as the 3-0 thrashing that England meted on them late last year.
The win marked Masood's first series success as skipper and a change of heart worked for Pakistan in not playing Babar Azam, Naseem Shah, and Shaheen Afridi and replacing them with Sajid and Noman. The strategic switch to dry, turning pitches proved the key to unlocking their spinners and saw the pair dominate throughout the series, taking 39 of the 40 English wickets. This proved a decisive turnaround for Pakistan, which had suffered six successive Test losses and an 11-match winless streak at home.
England's series ended in an unfruitful manner with their third loss in four Tests of 2024. Two years ago, they had won over Pakistan but failed to do so this time and lost the second series under Ben Stokes' captaincy. Brief Scores: England 267 & 112 (Joe Root 33, Harry Brook 26; Noman 6-42, Sajid 4-69) Lost to Pakistan 344 & 37/1 in 3.1 overs (Shan Masood 23 not out, Saim Ayub 8; Jack Leach 1-27) by nine wickets.
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