England would not be denied after Ben Stokes plotted another thrilling Test victory, this time by 74 runs to conquer both Pakistan and the dwindling light in Rawalpindi on an absorbing day five of the first Test.
Stokes, in tandem with Test head coach Brendon McCullum, has helped revolutionise English cricket and can add one of the country’s greatest wins to his resume as skipper on what was England’s first Test in Pakistan for 17 years.
If Jack Leach pounced late, with barely 10 minutes remaining of play, trapping Naseem Shah lbw for the vital wicket, England had a clinic from seamers James Anderson, ever reliable still at 40 years of age, and Player of the Match Ollie Robinson to even sniff victory. Their deadly reverse-swing bowling laying the foundation for the late drama, with this side’s tenacious attitude squeezing life into a match that appeared destined to fizzle out for a draw as bat dominated ball for three days.
This, just a third ever away victory in Pakistan, came after whittling down a stubborn tail on one of the flattest pitches in the sport.
But the tourists held their nerve, validating once more an aggressive brand of cricket bound together with a series of bold strategic decisions, including Stokes’s declaration on Sunday, which gave the hosts a target of 343 to win.
Saud Shakeel had provided the most resistance in the second innings for Pakistan, adding 76 runs from 159 balls.
But Anderson turned the game in his side’s favour after producing two wickets in an over.
Zahid Mahmood and Haris Rauf were removed to leave the tourists on the brink of victory.
And England finally landed the elusive 10th wicket, with approximately 10 minutes of light remaining, thanks to Leach.
The ball clattered into the front of Naseem’s pads, making his desperate review futile, sparking wild scenes of celebration.
Reacting to another incredible win, Stokes said: “There are a few things you can plan for, which is the way we approach the game. But you cannot plan what happened to the squad a few days before. That seems a long time ago now wondering whether we would start on time so I have to give the group credit.
“There were some key individual performances – Will Jacks getting his call-up minutes before call time. Ollie Pope donning the gloves while batting at three. What we had to deal with going into this Test makes this win even better.
“We have had eight or nine Tests now under mine and Brendon’s leadership and the one thing we focus on is ourselves rather than the opposition. We will always take the positive route and not second guess ourselves about the opposition. It was a great surface to bat on so was a real opportunity for the talent we have to express themselves.
“We have some broken bodies in that dressing room. Having the lads run in as a captain it is great to see that enthusiasm and heart in the field. I don’t think I have seen a group of players who want to put their bodies on the line so much. They are a real special group of players.”
While Robinson lauded the win as the best of his Test career so far.
“The pitch was tough for our seamers but we kept going. Every player didn’t leave anything behind and it was a great effort,” said the fast bowler.
“We had to be patient. We knew if we could get a fresh partnerships in with a reversing ball we had a chance.
“We knew it would be hard but we toiled away and the batters gave us that opportunity. If they didn’t score as quickly as they had we would have had the chance.
“Coming to Pakistan and playing on these flat wickets, this is probably the best Test win I’ve had so far definitely.”
A 1-0 lead is just a start, but Stokes and co. now have a path to yet another remarkable series victory, with no respite for either side as the second Test starts on Friday in Multan, Punjab.
There will be one change, at least, as Liam Livingstone returns home, ruled out of the rest of the tour due to a knee injury.
