Multan: England notched one of its most memorable test wins as it beat Pakistan by an innings and 47 runs on the fifth and final day of the first cricket test on Friday.
Pakistan was bowled out for 220 inside the first session as Salman Ali Agha (63) and Aamer Jamal (55 not out) delayed the inevitable with their fighting half centuries.
Ill No. 11 Abrar Ahmed couldn’t bat due to a fever as Pakistan suffered the embarrassment of becoming the first test-playing country to lose a match by an innings after scoring over 500 runs in the first innings.
Left-arm spinner Jack Leach picked up all the three wickets on the final morning to finish with 4-30 after fast bowlers Gus Atkinson and debutant Brydon Carse had mopped the Pakistan top-order on the fourth evening.
Resuming on 152-6, Agha and Jamal resisted for an hour and stretched their partnership to 109 before Leach struck in his first over when he had Agha trapped leg before wicket off a straight delivery.
Leach then finished off the tail quickly by grabbing a stunning low return catch of Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah was stumped after hitting the left-arm spinner for a straight six.
England had broken number of test records when it amassed 823-7 declared on the back of Harry Brook’s belligerent triple century and Joe Root’s impeccable 262 in reply to Pakistan’s first innings score of 556.
On Wednesday, Root also became England’s highest test run-scorer.
Pakistan woeful run in test cricket continued with skipper Shan Masood losing his sixth successive test since being elevated as captain last year. It was also Pakistan’s seventh loss at home in 11 test matches with the last win coming against South Africa in February 2021.
The second test begins at Multan from next Tuesday with the final test scheduled for Rawalpindi from Oct. 24.
