Noman Ali’s Brilliant Eight-Wicket Haul Secures Pakistan’s First Home Test Win Since 2021
Noman Ali and Sajid Khan helped Pakistan upset England by 152 runs in Multan, their first home Test victory since 2021.
Prior to the third Test at Rawalpindi, Pakistan’s victory and a 1-1 series draw were assured by England’s batting collapse, which saw them lose eight wickets in the morning session alone.
Key Performances and Match Scorecard
Pakistan 366 (Ghulam 118, Ayub 77, Leach 4-114) and 221 (Salman 63, Bashir 4-66) beat England 291 (Duckett 114, Sajid 7-111) and 144 (Noman 8-46) by 152 runs.
Match Analysis
For Pakistan, it took a while to arrive at the decision, but it happened quickly. Pakistan secured their first victory in a home Test since 2021 when Noman Ali and Sajid Khan combined for the second time throughout the game to bowl out England. In less than two hours, eight wickets fell as England was destroyed by a barrage of reverse and sweep sweeps.
In the match, Noman finished with career-best figures of 8 for 46 and 11 for 147 after claiming seven of them alone. They became the first duo to take all 20 wickets in a Test since Bob Massie and Dennis Lillee in 1972, with Sajid taking the remaining two wickets after taking 7 for 111 in the opening innings.
The series is even at 1-1 ahead of the third Test in Rawalpindi thanks to a devastating result that was attained in just three and a half days on a repurposed surface that Pakistan had believed would aid their spinners. In addition, it gave Shan Masood his first win as captain following a horrifying run of six straight losses.
Given that Pakistan had chosen a three-man spin attack that had never played together before in response to last week’s devastating innings loss, and that Babar Azam, Shaheen Afridi, and Naseem Shah had been dropped, their triumph was all the more amazing. In the end, Sajid and Noman—playing his first Test since July 2023—demolished England in tandem, requiring Zahid Mahmood to bowl just six overs.
After three days for a rapid warm up, this was the ninth day of play for the Multan pitch, which by this point was providing regular turn. It was day four of the second Test. Ollie Pope and Joe Root, the not-out batsmen for England, had been rehearsing their sweeps before to the game, and it soon became apparent what their offensive strategy would be in their quest to add 261 more runs to win. “Basically getting your broom out,” Ben Stokes said in the post-match interview.
But Pope, who was the first wicket to fall, did not play a shot in fury, instead putting Sajid’s second delivery right back into the bowler’s hands. As Harry Brook made an attempt to sweep his opening ball, Root followed suit, drawing battle lines.
Not that England benefited much from such a clear objective. In the first Test on this ground, Root and Brook had put together a record-breaking fourth-wicket stand, but there was a clear difference in their poise and control. Root attempted to sweep seven of the eight balls he faced before being hit on the hip. He then stretched out on off stump and played over the ball to be declared leg before wicket, a decision that was later confirmed by the umpire after a review.
Although Brook managed to reverse the ball once to the boundary, his frenzied approach proved to be short-lived as he returned to his 21st delivery, where Noman delivered from round the wicket, only for the ball to stay a little low and end up pinned in front of leg stump swinging across the line. With England at 78 for 5, the game was all but over and the top order returned to the dressing room.
Shortly after hitting Noman for four with the same shot, Jamie Smith top-edged a slog sweep to mid-on three balls, bringing the score to 88 for 6. Before Noman enticed him down the pitch, Stokes reached 37 at a faster pace than a run a ball, despite scarcely playing a straight-bat shot. Mohammad Rizwan finished the stumping after his swing across the line left the bat somewhere around midwicket, an apt metaphor for England slipping away.
Apart from a short heroics by Brydon Carse, who avoided being declared leg before wicket by Sajid by using the DRS, that was pretty much it. He then hit the off-spinner for three enormous sixes before Noman’s cunning caused another swipe and a thin edge to drop. After Noman removed Jack Leach and Shoaib Bashir with consecutive deliveries in his following over, Pakistan’s improvised Multan strategy was successful.
Shan Masood Hails ‘Crucial Win for Pakistan Cricket’ After Ending Four-Year Home Drought
The captain of Pakistan’s Test team, Shan Masood, expressed satisfaction and pleasure after his side defeated England handily in Multan. This was Masood’s first triumph as captain and Pakistan’s first Test victory at home in over four years. With the victory, the series was tied at one before the third Test in Rawalpindi.
Speaking following Pakistan’s 144-run victory over England, Masood emphasized the significance of the victory for Pakistani cricket. “This is an important win for us. We haven’t won a home Test in three years and ten months, which is unacceptable for a team like Pakistan,” Masood stated. “This win shows the resilience of the players, staff, and board despite going through a challenging period.”
Pakistan made significant lineup changes following their innings-losing performance in the opening Test. While spinners Zahid Mahmood, Sajid Khan, and Noman Ali were brought back, star players like Shaheen Afridi and Naseem Shah were dropped. Masood clarified that collecting 20 wickets was still the key goal. In Test cricket, taking 20 wickets is a must. He underlined, “We needed bowlers to support us and a huge first innings.
The match’s pivotal moment occurred when Pakistan won the toss and took advantage of a spinning pitch that had been used in the first Test. Sajid Khan and Noman Ali shared all 20 wickets between them, which is only the second time in Pakistani history and hasn’t been done since 1972. No additional Pakistani bowler was required as the pair bowled England out in just 33.3 overs during their second innings.
Masood said that Pakistan’s reliance on spin was a risky but successful tactic. “We’ve taken chances to play result-driven cricket since I became captain, even if it meant dropping a few games. It was successful when we chose to use a worn surface and give the spinners a lead.”
The third Test at Rawalpindi, a location that is often adverse to spin, will now be the emphasis. Masood is still upbeat, though, about crafting a message that will be effective. Though it’s not common, I’d really like to see the pitch turn in Rawalpindi. We’ll see what the groundskeepers can do, but we’re hoping for dry conditions that will benefit spinners,” he continued.
Shan Masood’s leadership and tactical adjustments have given Pakistan, now back on winning terms, a much-needed boost as they aim to seal the series in the fourth Test.
