Pakistan spin duo Noman Ali and Sajid Khan led a brilliant fightback against the visitors in the Test series against England. After being handed a crushing defeat in the first Test, Pakistan pulled a 152-run win on October 18 which marked their incredible comeback. Both Noman and Sajid, who are also called back into the team after much debate, took all the 20 wickets for Pakistan. Then in a marvelous display of skills, captain Shan Masood did not use any other bowlers other than the spin duo, who bowled all 33.3 overs, thereby tearing apart the English side for just 144 runs. This was the first time since 1956 when a spin pair took all wickets in an innings Test, outshining the brilliant hundred from debutant Kamran Ghulam on Day 1 that made the first innings, it was a quality knock that gave major confidence to the team and paved way for Pakistan’s win.
Winning moments 📸
Pakistan beat England by 1️⃣5️⃣2️⃣ runs 🏏#PAKvENG | #TestAtHome pic.twitter.com/AxAQX89cse---Advertisement---— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) October 18, 2024
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Pakistan Spinners Thrash England, Series Levelled 1-1
At the start of Day 4, England required 261 to win with eight wickets still in hand. It is while their aggressive Bazball approach had led them to a fabulous win in the first Test at Multan, but it faltered dramatically this time around. Five England batters fell for single-digit scores, and the team was bowled out in a mere 33.3 overs. For the visitors the top scorer was Ben Stokes, who had hit 37 off 36 balls but he was dismissed by Noman Ali in the 28th over when he stepped out trying to hit a six but could not identify the ball and was eventually stumped by Rizwan, thus ending England’s hopes.
The bat goes flying and Rizwan does the rest behind the stumps 🎯
— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) October 18, 2024
Noman Ali outfoxes the England captain ☝️#PAKvENG | #TestAtHome pic.twitter.com/Q2a2GtfmsV
Sajid Khan and Noman Ali were last seen in Pakistan team in July 2023 and January 2024, respectively. With his return to the side, the returning duo of Sajid and Noman gained a lot of negative limelight among the fans as they came at the expense of powerhouse fast bowlers Shaheen Afridi and Naseem Shah. However, on both occasions, they proved indispensable; the same is told about Shan Masood’s choice of playing exclusively with the spinners duo in the final innings.
In the first innings both Noman Ali took 3 wickets and Sajid Khan took 7 wickets in second innings also the magical duo became the reason behind England’s downfall as Sajid Khan picked 2 wickets and Noman Ali picked 8 wickets. Both the bowlers spun a web out of which England could never find their way out.
Sajid Khan Wickets in both innings: 9
Noman Ali wickets in both innings- 11
⭐ 1️⃣1️⃣ wickets in the match
— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) October 18, 2024
⭐ Second-best bowling figures in an innings in Pakistan
Maiden 10-wicket haul for Noman Ali 🙌#PAKvENG | #TestAtHome pic.twitter.com/PSJDTlS2u2
Kamran Ghulam’s Incredible Ton
While Pakistan had struggled very early in the match, losing wickets in a rush while batting first, things eased up a lot after debutant Kamran Ghulam and young talent Saim Ayub steadied the ship with a brilliant partnership of 149 runs. Kamran came in in place of Babar Azam, who had not scored a fifty in his last 18 innings, and produced a patient hundred from the No. 4 position effectively countering England’s spin attack.
From handing out the Test debut cap to being there for the 💯 moment 🫂@KamranGhulam7 🤝 @iMRizwanPak#PAKvENG | #TestAtHome pic.twitter.com/lUzhpjxLxU
— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) October 15, 2024
Also Read: IND Vs NZ: Can Team India Bounce Back? Aakash Chopra Recalls 2001 Heroics
Even though Ben Duckett scored a good century – 114 off 129 he was able to play well against the spinners, but no other batter in his side could do it.
Sajid Khan- The Player Of The Match
“We lost the last two series, we just backed our process. Thanks to the Multan crowd for all the support. Noman is one of the most experienced players, he shares his experienced and he’s played everywhere. First innings, I got out early and he scored. In the second innings, I batted below him and gave support to Salman,” Sajid said at the end of the match.
Match figures of 9️⃣-2️⃣0️⃣4️⃣
— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) October 18, 2024
Sajid Khan is the player of the match for his heroics in the second Test 🏆#PAKvENG | #TestAtHome pic.twitter.com/RqBBy2jha2
Sajid Khan was awarded as the Player of the Match , Sajid also complimented Noman that he is the the most experienced of all those in the team. This is something big for Pakistan, as they will build on this series.
