Multan: It was another dark day in the history of Pakistan cricket, which not only slumped to the lowest of the low but also hit rock bottom in the current World Test Championship (WTC) standings following a humbling loss in the opening Test against England at the Multan Cricket Stadium.
The pain of Multan defeat will hurt Pakistan for a long time. Despite scoring 556 runs and being on top for the first two days, Pakistan, remarkably, lost the match by an innings and 47 runs.
No team in Test history has ever scored 500 or more as Pakistan did in the first innings and then gone on to lose by an innings.
Left-arm spinner Jack Leach bagged the three wickets England required for an astonishing win in the first session of Day 5 to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.
England’s Zak Crawley, right, and teammates acknowledge crowd as they walk off the field after winning the first test cricket match against Pakistan, in Multan, Pakistan, Friday, Oct. 11, 2024. AP/PTI
England continue dominating run in Pakistan
The hosts began the fifth day with four wickets in hand but Abrar Ahmed was absent through illness. England faced resistance from Salman Agha and Aamer Jamal who added 109 for the seventh wicket.
But Leach needed only four deliveries to dismiss Salman for 63, before taking a sharp caught-and-bowled to remove Shaheen Shah Afridi.
Naseem Shah was the final man to be dismissed as Leach ended with superb figures of 4/30 in his first Test since January.
England started the 2024 tour from where they left two years ago when a 3-0 whitewash stunned the home side. The Multan win, coming on the back of a remarkable batting display that saw them hammer 823/7d to take a 267-run lead, will be remembered as one of their best overseas wins.
Pakistan slump to an all-time low
It’s been 1341 days since Pakistan won a Test match at home. Since the victory in February 2021, Pakistan have lost seven and drawn four. Looking at the current state of affairs the miserable run is likely to continue in the second Test starting at the same venue on Tuesday.
Beaten by the USA at the T20 World Cup in June and at home in Tests by Bangladesh, Pakistan are enduring one of the worst periods in their history.
This was the third successive humbling for the Asian giants in as many Tests following Bangladesh’s historic 2-0 series win here just over a month ago. Skipper Shan Masood has nowhere to hide after losing all six Tests in charge.
He is getting no help at all from his players and is struggling to marshall the troops amidst inconsistent batting, listless bowling and lacklustre fielding.
Brief scorecard:
PAK vs ENG, 1st Test, Multan
Pakistan 556: Masood 151 & 220: Salman 63; Leach 4/30
England 823-7 d: Brook 317, Root 262
PAK vs ENG: No team in Test history has ever scored 500 or more as Pakistan did in the first innings and then gone on to lose by an innings. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
