Pakistan spin bowlers Noman Ali and Sajid Khan rewrote history on Day 4 of their 2nd Test vs England in Multan on Friday. For just the 7th time in the history of the game, two bowlers claimed all 20 wickets in the Test match.
Noman Ali claimed 11 wickets in the game, including 8/46 in the second innings, as England lost the 2nd Test by 152 runs and Pakistan levelled the three-match series at 1-1. Off-spinner Sajid Khan claimed 9 wickets including 7/111 in the first innings.
The last time that two bowlers claimed all 20 wickets was in 1972 when Australian pacers Dennis Lillee and Bob Massie ran through England at Lord’s. Pakistan’s Fazal Mahmood and Khan Mohammad had also achieved this feat against Australia in a Test match in Karachi in 1956.
Only the seventh instance in Tests since 1876-77, that two bowlers have picked 20 wickets in a Test, last time it transpired at Lord’s when Bob Massie making his debut in Tests picked 16 at Lord’s in 1972.
1. Hugh Trumble 3-38 & 4-49 & Monty Noble 7-17 & 6-60 versus England at… pic.twitter.com/J1WNExkpqU
— Dr. Nauman Niaz (@DrNaumanNiaz) October 18, 2024
Meanwhile, Pakistan ended their 11-match winless streak in Test format on home soil with a thumping 152-run victory in Multan. After three years of agony, Pakistan tasted success in Test format on their home turf for the first time since February 2021. The gamble of playing with a spin-laden lineup paid off as Shan Masood’s six-match horror run losing streak as Pakistan’s Test captain came to an end.
Day 4 began with an equation of England needing 261 runs with eight wickets in hand. England were jolted early after Sajid Khan removed Ollie Pope in the second over of the day. Just like on Day 3, England tried to implement all sorts of sweeps to negate the spin threat. But Pakistan spinners landed their deliveries in the full-length area to make England toil hard to pull off sweep shots.
The high-risk ploy of executing sweep shots certainly carried risks and rewards. After Joe Root tried to sweep his way away but got trapped in front of the stumps, Harry Brook and Ben Stokes tried to ignite hopes of victory.
With Brook moving forward with his frenetic approach, Noman went round the wicket to pin the youngster in front of the stumps, reducing England to 78/5. Stokes top-scored with a knock of 37 for England by executing a flurry of all sorts of sweeps. However, it wasn’t enough for the visitors to seal the Test series before heading to Rawalpindi. Noman cleared up England’s tail end to seal an emphatic 152-run victory over the visitors.
(with ANI inputs)
