Following up on their exploits in the second Test in Multan, the spin duo of Noman Ali and Sajid Khan produced an equally impressive show in Rawalpindi as Pakistan registered a nine-wicket victory in the third Test, thereby clinching the series. The pair accounted for nine wickets in the first innings with Sajid Khan claiming 6/128, his third five-plus-wicket haul in Tests, while Noman Ali registered figures of 3/88, which included the crucial scalps of the England openers.
Noman Ali and Sajid then combined to derail England’s second innings. None of the batters lasted as the spin assault continued from both sides. At the end of second day, England had already lost three wickets. They could only add 88 more runs the next morning as Noman Ali and Sajid Khan ran through the batting line-up. England were bowled out for 112, their second-lowest total against Pakistan in Tests with the host spinners once again taking all 20 wickets like the previous match. The duo have accounted for 39 of the 40 wickets in the last two Tests.
Pitch Report and Toss
Pitch Report : It still looks like a good pitch, there are some cracks, but they look rock solid. The ground staff have tried to scarify a bit and this pitch should turn as the Test progresses. The outfield is lush and reverse swing could come into play. It should be a good pitch for the first two days, it’s not that hot when compared to Multan. It should be flat for the first part of the Test, reckon Nasser Hussain and Urooj Mumtaz, in their pitch report.
Toss : England skipper Ben Stokes won the toss and chose to bat with Gus Atkinson and Rehan Ahmed in the playing XI. Pakistan skipper Shan Masood bowling first made no changes in his playing XI from the winning combination from second test.
Day 1 : Early strikes help England nullify Pakistan’s advantage on Day 1
After being pegged back for a large part of the day, England’s bowlers struck thrice late in the day to ensure that the opening day of the final Test against Pakistan in Multan had the honours shared between the two sides. Among the three wickets to fall was the hero of the previous Test match, Kamran Ghulam who couldn’t get going after a fairytale debut in Multan.
A pacy nip-backer that barely bounced off the pitch dislodged Ghulam, and his wicket to Atkinson was the only dismissal to pace on the first day. As such, only three overs of pace were bowled with Pakistan having none in their bowling effort.
Abdullah Shafique and Saim Ayub fell cheaply as Shoaib Bashir and Jack Leach picked up a wicket apiece. The Pakistan openers continued their barren patch in terms of opening partnerships. Shafique fell to a sharp off-break that scooted low while Ayub was soft in his flick to the turning ball, thereby inside-halving a dolly to short mid-wicket.
Skipper Shan Masood (16*) and Saud Shakeel (16*) prevented further damage with a solid little partnership to blunt England’s charge. However, those three wickets meant that Pakistan’s impressive bowling performance earlier in the day got neutralized to an extent.
Sajid Khan (6-128) and Noman Ali (3-88) were back in business once again as a spin partnership to derail England’s batting line-up. Unlike the previous Test in Multan, it didn’t take long for the ball to spin viciously in Rawalpindi. The very first ball of the game, bowled by Sajid, spun sharply off the deck, thereby setting the tone for things to come.
There was also extremely low bounce in the first session itself and England’s batters fell prey to it. Ben Duckett (52) and Zak Crawley (29) had begun well with a 56-run stand but once their partnership was broken, things went downhill for the visitors.
Smith showcased the ideal qualities needed to make runs on this pitch. He was decisive in his footwork and used the sweeps to great effect without premeditation. He also defended well, something that Atkinson also managed to do. The pair were threatening to get England past the 300-run mark with ease once they started their onslaught but Noman broke the stand by getting rid of Atkinson. A couple of sixes came from Smith but fell in the 90s to Zahid Mahmood.
Ultimately, England finished with 267, a score that is respectable even if under-par. As the classic cliche goes, a pitch can’t be judged until both teams bat on it. Pakistan’s early struggles so far suggest that the visitors may have got a tricky total but the slow nature of this track, especially against the older ball, could aid Pakistan’s batters. It’ll be interesting to see if the pitch breaks up further on the second day or merely slows down.
Day 2 : Saud Shakeel, spinners put Pakistan on top in Rawalpindi on Day 2
Pakistan took total control of the third Test in Rawalpindi on a riveting second day’s play. Saud Shakeel (134) batted superbly along with the spinners Noman Ali (45) and Sajid Khan (48*) to give Pakistan the lead of 77 runs. The two spinners then roared with the ball in the last hour of play to leave England at 24 for 3, who still trail by 53 runs.
Shakeel who had been watchful throughout his innings, switched gears after the Tea break as he slog-swept Leach for four. But the fireworks were to come from the other end as Sajid smashed two sixes and a four in a 19-run over by Bashir. Despite a cut onto his face and some blood oozing out, Sajid seemed completely unfazed as he clinched another boundary off Jack Leach.
Shakeel finally was dismissed as he spooned one to mid-wicket. Zahid Mahmood was bowled by young leg spinner Rehan, his fourth of the innings which ended the innings and left Sajid stranded on 48.
Pakistan immediately started with spin as Saim Ayub bowled the first over, one which caused no harm to either side. But that experiment ended quickly as Sajid and Noman bowled the remaining overs of the day’s play. Ben Duckett swept Sajid for back-to-back boundaries as England raced to 15 for 0 in three overs.
Earlier during the day, Rehan had Pakistan in a spot of bother as he struck thrice in his first six overs to have the hosts at 187 for 7 at Tea. Along with fellow spinners Bashir and Leach, the trio stuck to tight lines and induced the batters to play down the wrong line. Saud Shakeel who witnessed England take regular strikes in the first session, gritted it out with a fantastic century. Despite scoring only five boundaries en route to his milestone, he rotated strike consistently, not allowing the English bowlers to settle.
In a fantastic 88-run partnership after Lunch with Noman Ali, Pakistan managed to level the scores from 187 for 7 by Tea time. Now leading by 53 runs, the hosts will look to close out on only their second home Test victory in three-and-a-half years.
Day 3 : Noman Ali, Sajid Khan spin Pakistan to historic series victory against England
Sajid Khan and Noman Ali haunted England again as they bowled Pakistan to a series win on Saturday (October 26). The spin twins accounted for all 10 wickets in the innings again as England put on a poor display with the bat again to get bowled out for 112 in the morning session, setting a target of just 36 for the home side.
Noman Ali and Sajid opened the attack and kept bowling throughout the innings, just like they did in England’s second essay in Multan. After rotating the strike briefly, Harry Brook got going with back-to-back boundaries off Sajid. The spinner could have had his man the next ball but Brook received a reprieve with the catch being dropped. England grew in confidence slowly with Brook and Joe Root looking assured out in the middle.
However, their relief was short-lived as Noman Ali managed to find some extra bounce to trouble Brook with the Englishman only managing an edge through to the keeper. In Noman Ali’s following over, Ben Stokes shouldered arms to a delivery that was drifting back into the left-hander and as a result, was trapped plumb in front. And if those two wickets hadn’t rattled England enough, there was more misery in store.
Noman Ali finished with a six-fer when he had Jack Leach stumped as Pakistan’s spin attack managed to bag all 20 wickets in a Test for the second successive time. The chase was a walk in the park for Pakistan as skipper Shan Masood came out all guns blazing to hammer an unbeaten 23 off just 6 deliveries to wrap things up in style.
Things began serenely enough for England. They started Saturday 53 behind on 24 for 3, but in Root and Brook, they had two batters capable of chipping off that deficit, and then some.
When Brook began the 13th over by striking Sajid for back-to-back fours – first through cover, then over mid off on the charge – the more pessimistic Pakistan fans might have been wondering if the Yorkshire pair were about to embark on another match-tilting partnership. After all, it was these two who combined for all of 454 in the first Test at Multan.
However, that was before Sajid and Noman Ali entered the series. And after the former adjusted his line to keep Brook honest, the latter followed up a slow delivery with one far quicker that was cut late into the gloves of Mohammad Rizwan. Pakistan’s lead had been cut to 11, but the first domino had been toppled. Others duly followed.
Stokes’ troubles against spin continued, inexplicably leading a straight delivery from Noman Ali, expecting turn from over the wicket that never came. Jamie Smith’s charge to Sajid was almost as bad, bowled off stump through a wild swing that belied the sensibilities he had displayed with a load-bearing 89 in the first innings.
It was only four balls after Smith’s dismissal that England went ahead, and what hopes they had of extending that in a meaningful way ended when Root was snared by a pearler from Noman Ali with a lead of eight. Perfect dip onto a length to drag the right-hander forward from around the wicket, before just enough spin – it was a delivery the 38-year-old had served up a few times but only Root was good enough to nick. A
Sajid tagged in to lop off the tail, yorking Gus Atkinson before knocking back Rehan Ahmed’s leg stump for his second 10-wicket match haul. And he looked to have bagged a second five-for in the match when Shoaib Bashir was given out LBW on the sweep.
A cursory DRS review came back in the No.11’s favour, with the impact onto the pad coming outside off stump. The reprieve only brought an extra two runs, as Noman caught Leach lacking on the charge, firing one wide of the advancing left-hander, stumped smartly by Rizwan.
A lead of 35 was always going to be light work on a pitch that was far from demonic, but it was Masood’s introduction that ensured formalities were completed inside 3.1 overs. Ayub began the chase with a brace of fours at the end of the first over before Leach pinned him in front, confirmed via DRS after another erroneous call from umpire Sharfuddoula.
But even his dismissal brought some icing to the cake, as Masood took the team charging over the line for his first series win as captain. After starting his tenure with six straight defeats before the second Test of this series, It was hard to begrudge him that honor.
Just as it was in the first innings, and indeed the victorious second Test at Multan, Noman Ali and Sajid Khan ran riot, bagging all 10 wickets as England were snuffed out for 112 in a listless second innings performance. It was Noman Ali’s turn to pocket the match ball with 6 for 42, a sixth five-wicket haul, while Sajid’s 4 for 69 registered a second 10-wicket match of his 10-Test career after 6 for 128 on the first day.
That left a nominal chase of 36 on the table, which was still enough for beleaguered home skipper Shan Masood to indulge in a cathartic 23 from six deliveries. He clouted four successive fours against Jack Leach upon his arrival to the crease after Saim Ayub was trapped leg before, then sealed victory with a towering six off Shoaib Bashir.
Prior to Masood walking off with Abdullah Shafique, Noman Ali and Sajid had done so hand in hand, basking in the glory of instigating England’s day three collapse in which the final seven wickets fell for just 46, and the fact their introductions turned the series on its head. Since being drafted into the squad after the tourists took a 1-0 lead, they have managed 39 wickets between them – Noman Ali’s left-arm spin taking 20 at 13.85, Sajid’s off breaks 19 from 21.01.
Presentations and Road Ahead
Shan Masood the series winning Pakistan skipper said : London buses, they come together. First Test win came after a long time, now the series win. This means a lot for me, the players, the coaches and the management – they came through a lot. The character says a lot, this is a special moment and you can’t take this off the team.
Saud Shakeel, I can say that’s one of the best hundred I’ve seen, 70 singles, what an effort, Sajid and Noman, what can I say about them.
Zahid fielded well, Jamal, he might have created a world record of a pacer to have not bowled a single ball in the Test, the biggest point of satisfaction was that we had a change in conditions, we ourselves hadn’t played on such challenging pitches before. We played in the UAE, but the challenge wasn’t there on the first two days, like it was here.
We have quality in our batting and bowling, the depth is there. I’ve always said that we need to take 20 wickets to win a Test and that’s what we achieved here. The job comes up with responsibility (on captaincy). It’s heartening to have young talents like Saim and Huraira coming up, and seniors like Noman coming back into the set-up after a long time.
We’ve had a lot of positives with the bat, Saud and Salman are growing as leaders. This series win is for the people of Pakistan who have suffered a lot with us, thankful for the English team, the contests between the two teams are always memorable and I wish we play more, possibly a 5-match series
Ben Stokes the loosing England skipper said : Disappointing, losing games and losing series’. We weren’t able to match the challenges in the last two games, credit to Pakistan. Moving forward, we’ll look to match those challenges as we come up against them. Couple of weeks time, we’ll be up against New Zealand. The summer finished late, the lads worked really hard but when you get out there in the middle it’s all really different.
All you can do is work hard. Whether you do well or not, you always try and take the positives out. Regardless of the result, there have been some unbelievable individual performances so certainly a lot to take out. You take that aspect and that look on it, Rehan and Bashir coming here to play cricket in front of family, it’s something massive for them. They’re two incredible cricketers who’re just starting their career so it’s massive for them.
Sajid Khan Player of the Series said : Thankful to god for the series win. There was no pressure as such, I was making a comeback, but there were people who backed me and I had played FC cricket. Off the field, I’m not like this, I’m funny, Kamran Ghulam is my best friend, but you need to behave like this to lift the team’s morale.
You didn’t need to do anything in Multan (in the second Test), the pitch did everything. Here, you needed to vary your lengths and paces, we just did that. Noman bhai is one of the most experienced spinners in our country, he has been a great mate and has served well. He deserved this PoS award with me. Congrats to the nation for this win.
Saud Shakeel Player of the Match for his innings of 134 said : The pitch and situation was a bit difficult but if your plans are clear then it becomes easier, you have to back yourself. I enjoy the responsibility as vice captain. I have more fun playing against fast bowlers but as long as the runs are coming, that’s what matters. The way Noman and Sajid batted was dominating, they get a lot of credit. They dominated more than me.
A very important and satisfying win this for Pakistan, it gives them their first series win at home since 2021 and it’s also their first under Shan Masood. Safe to say they’ll be as relieved as they’ll be happy. They took some bold calls after that crushing loss in the first Test. They dropped some of their stalwarts and took a radical approach towards preparing surfaces that would suit them and amidst much public scrutiny, delivered the results when their reputation was really on the line.
In an extraordinary turnaround, Pakistan completely flipped the script by preparing two turners and at the forefront of their spin assault were two unlikely heroes – Sajid Khan and Noman Ali. Cast into the wilderness and then suddenly plucked out again, the two veteran spinners grabbed on to their, likely final, opportunity and were truly remarkable across the two games. They accounted for 39 of the 40 wickets across the two Tests and nearly bowled all of the overs as well.
The wait is finally over. For the first time since 2021, Pakistan have won a Test series at home, coming back from 1-0 down to confirm a 2-1 success over England.
A comprehensive nine-wicket win on day three of the third and decisive Test in Rawalpindi arrived before lunch, achieved with so little fuss that England’s victory by an innings in the opening match feels like it belongs in a different series altogether. It is only the second time Pakistan have come from behind in a series and the first time they have done so at home.
Lots to ponder over for England. They turned up in Multan for the first Test and got exactly what they were expecting – a freshly paved highway. But thereafter, once they landed in a spinny bog, they had no answers. They competed but their batters couldn’t quite stand up to the challenge and their spinners were nowhere nearly as effective as that of the opponents. Their batters only had to look across to how Saud Shakeel played in this game. His innings of 134 exemplified the technique and temperament required on such slow and turning tracks.
While England dismissed Pakistan’s top order quite cheaply in the first innings, they had no answers to Shakeel’s tenacity and none too against the two spinners, Sajid and Noman, who made vital contributions with the bat as well as if their exploits with the ball weren’t enough. Yes, Pakistan won this game but it really only was about those 3 players – Saud Shakeel, Sajid Khan and Noman Ali – them against England.
Pakistan not only end their dismal 11 loss-streak at home but they’ve now also got a template for future home games. They’ve also rediscovered two previously discarded diamonds that probably had not had the right opportunities to shine till now. Sajid Khan and Noman Ali not only bowled tirelessly and with a lot of heart to pick up 39 of the 40 wickets but they also showed that they could hold on to their own with the bat as well.
Radical changes once more in Pakistan cricket but extremely effective this time around and that’ll give them a lot of confidence. England don’t come back to the subcontinent till 2027 so their shortcomings in this series will probably just simmer until then. Pakistan next head down to South Africa at the end of the year while England, like Stokes mentioned, go down to New Zealand next month.