England’s Joe Root and Harry Brook combined to compound Pakistan’s cricketing woes in the ongoing Test series. Pakistan has now received back-to-back defeats in Test cricket and look set for another decimation from England. Both sides will meet on two more occasions (October 15 to 19 in Multan and October 24 to 28 in Rawalpindi) to round off the three-match series.
Pakistan’s 556 Not Enough to Dismiss England
Pakistan batted first in the initial Test match and left English fans on edge after registering 556 runs. However, the English Test team responded in surprising fashion under pressure to hand Pakistan an embarrassing home loss.
Harry Brook and Joe root combined to register an impressive 454-run pairing. Their immense contribution to England’s win ensured Pakistan were left seething after a record-breaking drubbing. England’s talented batters rallied their side to a 7/823 score.
Pakistan’s Top Players Falter (Again)
Much blame has been laid at the feet of former skipper Babar Azam before the England meeting. Azam resigned from all captaincy posts recently and Shan Masood became the side’s skipper before their 2024 Test schedule began. However, switching Azam from the captaincy hasn’t brought any notable change to Pakistan’s on-pitch fortunes.
The trio of Shan Masood, Babar Azam, and Saim Ayub were all sent packing before their total approached 50. Captain Masood got dropped on two occasions before miscuing a shot from Gut Atkinson.
Mohammed Rizwan also fell quite early to Brydon Carse at 5/59. Agha Salman and Saud Shakeel combined to send Pakistan to 82 before Jack Leach caught Shakeel behind.
Other major players faltered throughout Pakistan’s outing to hand the game to England.
Brook Fires on All Cylinders
England’s Brook smashed home 29 fours and a trio of sixes to cement an amazing triple-century performance. The skilled cricketer beat his previous best of 186 to hand Pakistan their third Test defeat in as many months.
Root Rolls Back the Years against Familiar Opposition
Joe Root’s previous best in Tests (254) was against Pakistan when both sides met in Manchester 8 years ago (ENG vs PAK 2016). The veteran English batter produced a remarkable performance and a double century to hand Pakistan a crushing home defeat.
England Reaches a Milestone vs Pakistan
The first Test victory now puts England ahead of Pakistan in the head-to-head (H2H) meetings between both sides. England’s latest win vs Pakistan means the Men in Green have failed to beat the visiting team after four (4) separate attempts. The last meeting between both teams in Test cricket saw England run away with a 3-0 series win vs their hosts. That whitewash in 2022 is very likely to occur again if Pakistan doesn’t get their act together before the next Test.
Pakistan Achieve an Unwanted Record
First Asian Test side to lose by over 500 in Test
The home defeat to England means Pakistan is cricket’s first Asian side to lose by a score exceeding 500 in a Test first innings. Other unwanted records achieved by the Pakistan Test team include:
- First time five Pakistan Test bowlers conceded over 100 runs in an innings
- Babar Azam’s woeful Test performance continues (9 consecutive games without registering a half-century)
Pakistan Test Skipper Speaks on the First Innings Defeat
Shan Masood has now overseen back-to-back defeats as Test captain after assuming the role following Azam’s resignation. Calls for the removal of Masood as Pakistan’s Test skipper continue to gather momentum, particularly after their humiliating outings versus Bangladesh and England.
The embattled skipper expressed worry over Pakistan’s inability to take wickets in a bid to defend their 556-run haul:
“When you put 556 on the board, it’s very important to back that up with 10 wickets and keep the game close. That’s something we didn’t do. If we take those 10 wickets and have England around our score, then the 220 runs we scored on a fifth day becomes challenging for them. That’s the key.”
Masood acknowledged the team’s struggles and hopes to improve their performances from the next games:
“We’ve got to work things out as a team, how the batting and bowling in the first innings contribute to a lead and hopefully set the match up. That’s something we’re struggling with. As a team, we have to improve with our second innings batting but the most important thing, like I said, is learning how to take 20 wickets. That’s the challenge going forward.”
England Test Skipper Hails the Team’s “Mammoth” Performance
Current Team England Test skipper Ollie Pope gave credit to the side’s bowlers and batters as they snatched victory from their hosts:
“Credit to the bowlers for how they went about their stuff. The fitness they showed – and the same with Joe Root and Harry Brook. We knew that the way to win this game was to put a mammoth score on the board. It wasn’t just a lead of 100, it was up towards 300. It was awesome.”
