Pakistan turn it around to clinch series 2-1 after Sajid, Noman special
Sajid and Noman shared 19 out of 20 wickets to leave their batters chasing a target of only 36
Sajid and Noman shared 19 out of 20 wickets to leave their batters chasing a target of only 36
Scorer: K Vairavan | Commentator: Alan Gardner
12.40pm: Well, folks, that's a wrap after a remarkable series. England shredded the record books on a flat one in Multan but then came unstuck as Pakistan rolled the dice on a couple of turning tracks - and couple of savvy spinners. The schedule never sleeps, with England playing limited-overs cricket in the Caribbean next week, before heading to New Zealand for another Test series in late November. Pakistan are off to Australia, Zimbabwe and South Africa before hosting West Indies in the New Year. We'll be across all of it, of course. For now, thanks for your comments. From myself and Vish, Miller and the scorers, it's goodbye until the next time. See ya!
12.15pm: Presentations coming up... Here we go, Player of the Match goes to Saud Shakeel: "It was tricky to bat given the situation I found myself in. But when your plans are clear and you have clarity of mind, you find it easier to back yourself and stick with your plan. It's more fun to play fast bowlers than spin, but as long as I'm getting runs against spin, I won't complain. [VC role] There's not much to do as a vice-captain, but I try to enjoy responsibility rather than stressing about it. [Lower-order runs] The way Noman and Sajid batted, they were actually the dominant partners in their stands with me. Just want to credit them, because in that phase where we were building our lead up, they were the ones taking charge."
Sajid Khan is named Player of the Series after taking 19 wickets at 21.10: "Not so much pressure but some pressure of the comeback. Otherwise the captain, vice captain, wicketkeeper… the team was gelling well together, we play domestic cricket together, on these kinds of wickets, so there wasn't that much pressure. [Character] Off the field I'm a funny guy and you should be that inside as well to keep spirits up. [Pitches] That Multan pitch if you didn't do anything you still got something. On this pitch if you took time to play, like Saud did, there wasn't that much in it. You had to vary pace, hit the right areas here. [Noman partnership] Nomi bhai is one of the most experienced players on the Pakistan circuit, we should be sharing this Man of the Series awards, as much credit to him."
England captain Ben Stokes: "Disappointing. We got thrown some challenges over these last two games and weren't able to stand up to them. Credit to Pakistan. You get thrown challenges all over the world, in a couple of weeks we go to New Zealand and we'll have to try to match them as well. [Conditions] You do what you've got to do. We had guys playing a one-day series at home and then coming out here. The lads trained hard but when you get out in the middle it can be completely different. Whether you do well or not, you should always try to take the positives. There have been some unbelievable individual performances throughout the series. A lot to take out. Rehan [Ahmed] and Bash [Shoaib Bashir] coming to play Test cricket here, we know how much that means to their families. Two incredibly talented cricketers, the only way is up."
Pakistan captain Shan Masood: "Like London busses they come together. The first win came after a long time and it was backed up by a series win. It's special. For everyone, to stand up and give their best, it means a lot. It's about character. To be here and standing as the winning team, it's the most special thing for us. There are always going to be individual performances, Saud was one of the best innings I've seen. But it's small, small efforts combined with the big efforts that count. Our ground fielding was outstanding in this match. Little things you do turn into big things. So many characters in this series and everyone has chipped in. [Turning to spin] We haven't played in these conditions ourselves. This was challenging from day one. The onus is on us now to keep taking 20 wickets. Bowlers win you matches but our first-innings batting in 2024 has been superb. We have posted scored that set games up and now we're taking 20 wickets we're getting results as well. Biggest thing is progress, leaving Pakistan cricket in good hands. Heartening to have good players come in. People have grown in stature. It's about the whole team. We'd like to dedicate this to the people of Pakistan, who've been through a lot. Hopefully this will put a smile on people's face, and hopefully we can have full houses [all the time]."
12pm: An extraordinary victory, an extraordinary series. Shan Masood was on the brink after his side went 1-0 down in Multan with their sixth consecutive defeat under his captaincy - but they changed approach, picked two veteran spinners who had barely played red-ball cricket in the last year, and wiped the floor with England over the course of the next two Tests. In Rawalpindi, they had to overcome losing the toss on a turner, but did so thanks to Saud Shakeel's hard-bitten ton and, of course, 19 wickets for Sajid Khan and Noman Ali. Looks like there was a good crowd in to see the last knockings, and the beaming smiles in the Pakistan camp tell a story. For England, it's another crushing defeat in spinning conditions; only their second series defeat under Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum. Will it have a knock-on effect for their planned tilts at India and Australia next year? They're off to New Zealand in less than a month, so we may not have long to find out
"England can blame the pitches if they wish but their record in Asia is awful!" bawls Dave. "No excuses, Bazball loses once again, the end is nigh and it will be exposed by NZ and Aus! Santner and Lyon licking their lips!"
"So who takes the credit here? PCB or the new selection panel or captain and coach or the players?" Good question, Abbas Khanji. But plenty to share around right now
And here's a happy Muz: "After suffering humiliating losses to Bangladesh, USA, then losing a winning chance against India, this just made my day!"
Waleed Khan: "Predicting Man of the Match and Man of the Series. My pick for man of the Match would be Saud Shakeel for his brilliant ton and I would pick both Sajid and Noman for combined Men of the Series."
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