On Day Four of the second Test match at Multan, Pakistan leveled the three-game series against England by defeating them by 152 runs.
Pakistan secured their first home Test victory in almost four years by defeating England by 152 runs in the second match in Multan. The victory, achieved before lunch on the fourth day after England lost eight wickets, halted an 11-Test losing record in home matches dating back to February 2021.
Pakistan's off-spinner Noman Ali broke his best bowling figures with 8-46 in the second innings, completing the match with 11-47. This was the first time that Pakistan spinners picked up all 20 wickets to fall in a match, with Sajid Khan claiming 9-204. If Khan had taken one more wicket, it would have been the first time in Test cricket history that two bowlers claimed 10-wicket hauls in the same match. This was Pakistan's first Test victory in nearly four years, following a 2-0 home series defeat by Bangladesh. Pakistan captain Shan Masood reflected on his first Test win.
Is Pakistan rewarded for leaving out Babar and Shaheen?
Four changes have been made for this match after Pakistan's humiliating loss in Multan just a week ago by an innings and 47 runs. The hosts' decision to employ seven spinners on the used pitch was most remarkable for the contentious exclusion of star batsman Babar Azam and important seam bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi.
England's captain, Masood, praised the team's decision to start the match on the same track three days after the first game of the series ended, a first in history. He praised the team's hunger and commitment to pick up 20 wickets. England resumed the day on 36-2, but lost Ollie Pope to a caught-and-bowled by Sajid for 22 runs. This was the first of four wickets to fall for 51 runs, leaving the tourists in a perilous position. Captain Ben Stokes' 37 was the highest score of the innings, but it could not be reversed. The team's effort and commitment were praised by the crowd.
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