Pakistan celebrated a significant victory by defeating England by 152 runs in the second Test in Multan. This win leveled the Test series 1-1 and ended Pakistan’s 11-match winless streak at home.
Shan Masood, who took over as captain last year, secured his first win as skipper. However, Masood faced some online trolling due to an error he made while signing the Multan cricket stadium honours board, where he mistakenly wrote “Pakistan” in the opposition section.
WATCH: Social media trolls captain Masood after Pakistan ends home losing streak
One of the troll mentioned ” Shan Masood england me parne ka Kya matlab” and the other wrote , “Shan masood ki itni English ka kia faida.”
Spinner Noman Ali played a crucial role in the victory, taking eight wickets with figures of 8-46. Sajid Khan supported him by taking 2-93, wrapping up England’s second innings at 144. Noman finished with a match haul of 11-147, while Sajid had 9-204. This was only the second time in Pakistan’s history that two bowlers took all 20 wickets in a Test match.
The last time Pakistan won a home Test was against South Africa in February 2021. The decisive third and final Test will start on October 24 in Rawalpindi.
Pakistan made strategic changes after their loss in the first Test, including dropping Babar Azam and playing three spinners on a reused pitch. This strategy proved effective as England, resuming at 36-2, could only add 108 more runs.
Sajid Khan dismissed Ollie Pope early, and Noman Ali took crucial wickets, including Joe Root and Harry Brook. England’s position worsened at 78-5 when these key players were dismissed.
Noman Ali continued to dominate by taking the wickets of Jamie Smith, Captain Ben Stokes, Brydon Carse, Jack Leach, and Shoaib Bashir. This performance was better than his previous best of 7-70 against Sri Lanka last year.
This comprehensive performance by Pakistan’s bowlers secured their first home win in over three years, setting up an exciting final Test in Rawalpindi.