Simon Burnton has filed his report from Multan so I’ll leave you with that. Thanks for your company and emails throughout another memorable Test match. See you on Tuesday!
Ollie Pope puts England's historic win onto the Multan record boards ✍️ pic.twitter.com/1GKbNhCgVM
— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) October 11, 2024
Ollie Pope's reaction
We knew the way to win this game was to put a mammoth score on the board, so credit to Rooty and Brooky for their skill, fitness and determination.
When you make 550 you probably you think you’re in the driving seat. So when you come out to bat again and you’re 260 behind and the pitch is three days older… it’s never an easy position to be in. I thought we bowled well and we had a lot of wicket-taking options.
[On Brydon Carse] He got some crucial wickets, set some clever fielders and got batters playing in areas they didn’t want to play. He charged in, showed a lot of heart and didn’t complain once when we asked him to bowl bumpers.
[On his first-innings duck] That’s the game. I smoked a pull shot straight to midwicket and unfortunately I was the one that missed out! It’s a team game and all that matters is that we’re on the right side of the result.
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Pakistan captain Shan Masood speaks
We’ve spoken about the third and fourth innings. At the end of the day it’s a team game and everything has its repercussions. If we took all 10 wickets and kept England close to our score, then our third-innings total would have been challenging on a fifth-day pitch.
We’re getting in good positions but we’re struggling to set the game up. The trick for us is to learn from England, who found out ways to get those 20 wickets. Going forward we need to improve in days three, four and five.
[Will there be changes?] We’re in the middle of the series. We’ve talked about having a squad mentality and consistency of selection. The quick turnaround might be beneficial for us and we’re looking forward to having another chance.
[On the pitch] You have to give huge credit to England. The best teams always find a way, no matter what the conditions.
We’re not getting the results that Pakistan deserves. We’re trying very hard and we’ll keep giving our all.
There are loads of sponsored awards being handed out.
Harry Brook is master blaster of the batch and striker of the match.
Joe Root and Harry Brook both win outstanding performance of the match.
Jack Leach is the bowler of the match
And finally, Harry Brook is the man of the match.
I enjoyed it a lot. It was tough in the heat but it was good to be out there with Rooty and put on that partnership; the plan was just to bat as long as possible.
[What’s on the checklist if you want to score 300?] Good question! You have to enjoy batting, build a partnership with the other guy out there, rotate strike as much as possible and try and put pressure on the bowlers.
"Again!"
— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) October 11, 2024
Harry Brook may as well have just stayed there 🤣 pic.twitter.com/38x1XNxfEf
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Brydon Carse hearts Test cricket
Awesome. The last five days have been a great experience and the lads are buzzing up there. All the guys put in a massive effort and it feels very rewarding now.
It’s been a great experience. It has felt as relaxed as it can be in the dressing-room. Credit to the guys in the group and the backroom staff for that.
The heat’s been the biggest challenge. Playing cricket in England in September is very different to playing out here! We’ve got a great medical staff who are constantly looking after us; we’ve got all the resources, including two massive ice baths at the back with chunks of ice in them. I’m still working out whether they help!
With different fields and bowling a lot of short balls in this heat, it’s up there with the most difficult conditions I’ve played in. Apart from that hour and a half last night when we got a bit of reverse swing, I’ve been hitting the pitch as hard as I can.
We thought there would have been more reverse swing, so that took us by surprise. That hour and a half last night was a key period where we really felt we could make some inroads.
We had a plan to bat as long as we could. After day three Baz said ‘I think 550 was probably under-par!’.
After day one, Baz and Stokesy both said, ‘I can assure you these conditions are as hard as it will get.’
[They lied, you’re back here in three days] Let’s cross that bridge when we come to it!
“Where is this Adelaide of which you speak?” says Chris Drew. “I have never heard of such a place. Is it a figment of your imagination?”
I’m afraid not, but this England team might be.
Not at all a body language guy but the Shaheen and Naseem batting at the end does not speak well of the way the team is right now
— Osman Samiuddin (@OsmanSamiuddin) October 11, 2024
This is England’s 20th win of the Bazball era. You can argue that seven of them are all-timers, which is a helluva ratio.
v New Zealand, Trent Bridge 2022
v India, Edgbaston 2022
v Pakistan, Rawalpindi 2022
v Australia, Headingley 2023
v Australia, The Oval 2023
v India, Hyderabad 2024
v Pakistan, Multan 2024
“I’m not English,” boasts Simon McMahon, “but have been a fan of the England cricket team for, well, ever. This feels like payback for the 80s and 90s. England fans deserve this. If it was Australia doing this, we’d call them, actually no, they’d call themselves, visionaries. So drink it in.
“This is one of the great Test victories, just a shame there’s almost no one in the ground to see it. Feel particularly pleased for Ollie Pope, who’s had a fine game as captain. If he’d made a successful review before the end, I’d have given him player of the match.”
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Leach finished with figures of 6.5-1-30-4 in the innings and 46.5-6-190-7 in the match. It’s a heartwarming return for a genuinely nice guy who was England’s No1 spinner until he suffered yet another injury in India. I doubt he’ll ever be first choice again – he’s 33 and not suited to bowling you know where – but he’ll never let England down.
Pakistan are the first team in Test history to score 500 and lose by an innings. They’re also only the ninth team in Test history to lose after scoring 550 in the first innings. Three of the nine have been against this England side, which is a frankly bonkers stat. Here’s the list.
And it still doesn’t exorcise Adelaide.
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ENGLAND WIN BY AN INNINGS AND 47 RUNS
WICKET! Pakistan 220 all out (Naseem st Smith b Leach 6) Make that seven wickets. Naseem Shah smashes his second ball for six, tries to do the same next ball and is stumped.
With Abrar Ahmed still in hospital, we’re done here: England have pulled off another ridiculous victory!
WICKET! Pakistan 214-8 (Shaheen ct and b Leach 10)
England are one wicket away from victory. Shaheen mishits a slog-sweep back towards Leach, who swoops to his left to take a terrific two-handed catch. That’s his sixth wicket of the game.
Jamal is receiving treatment again. He was hit in the ribs by Carse and looks a bit queasy as the physio prods around. But he has shown loads of courage in this innings and is fine to continue.
54th over: Pakistan 214-7 (Jamal 55, Shaheen 10) The 12th man ran on a moment ago, possibly with a message to Shaheen because he is playing Carse more responsibly in this over. He is called through for a really dodgy single by Jamal, who would have been run out with a direct hit from backward point. Not sure who the fielder was.
One issue with bringing in Potts for Woakes is that you’d have Gus Atkinson batting at No7. It’ll depend how Woakes, who is 35, pulls up after a few days’ rest.
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53rd over: Pakistan 208-7 (Jamal 52, Shaheen 9) So, the England team for the second Test. Matthew Potts will surely come in, probably for Woakes, but Olly Stone is getting married this weekend so we don’t know whether he’ll be available. Mind you, Andre Nel got married during a Test in 2004 and dismissed Brian Lara twice the following day. The only man on earth who has had Brian Lara twice on his honeymoon.
The interesting thing is what happens if Ben Stokes is fit to play but not to bowl. Ollie Pope could suffer a variation on the Mark Butcher treatment: stand-in captain one week, dropped the next.
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52nd over: Pakistan 208-7 (Jamal 52, Shaheen 9) Ollie Pope has dropped Jamal. He hooked Carse high towards deep square-leg, but Pope misjudged the flight of the ball and barely got a touch on it. That’s an unusually sloppy effort for a fielder of his quality.
Shaheen mishits a hoick that lands just in front of the man running back from square leg. Pakistan are swinging at everything now.
51st over: Pakistan 202-7 (Jamal 50, Shaheen 5) Jamal works Leach for a single to reach a fine half-century, his second in only four Test appearances. Not bad for a No8 – or a No9, as he was when he smashed 82 against Australia in January.
50th over: Pakistan 200-7 (Jamal 49, Shaheen 4) Carse changes ends and is hooked for four by Jamal, a stylish and courageous shot. Shaheen thumps another boundary down the ground to get off the mark and bring up the 200.
“I have been thinking about the lack of crowds for matches in Pakistan,” writes Krishnamoorthy V. “Why is that a surprise? The team does not have a Waqar or a Wasim to send shivers down the spines of opposition batsmen. Nor does it have a Miandad or a Zaheer Abbas or an Inzamam. No one to spin the ball like Abdul Qadir. Which paying public, in a country that lacks a progressive vision and besieged by inflation and corruption, would come to a ground to watch their listless team lose regularly? Pakistan cricket needs a complete reset.”
With the caveat that I don’t know what I’m talking about, it feels more complicated than that. Pakistan still have some exhilarating and/or stylish cricketers: Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah and Babar Azam in particular. Salman Agha and Aamer Jamal look like cricketers of substance; Mohammad Rizwan is full of charisma. But I agree they are in a miserable place right now. If they stick with Jason Gillespie, a fine coach and even better human being, they’ll be okay.
49th over: Pakistan 191-7 (Jamal 44, Shaheen 0) Leach has had a really good game on his return. He took some tap in the first innings, especially from Salman Agha, but he has taken five important wickets.
WICKET! Pakistan 191-7 (Salman LBW b Leach 63)
Jack Leach strikes with his fourth ball! Salman pushes defensively around his front pad and is hit in the vicinity of middle and leg. He reviews the LBW decision, hoping the ball might be sliding down, but it straightened enough and would have hit leg stump.
Three reds, in fact, so it would have been out even if the on-field umpire hadn’t given it. (England would definitely have reviewed. Ollie Pope could have been off the mark!)
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48th over: Pakistan 189-6 (Salman 61, Jamal 44) Woakes has only taken a couple of wickets in this game but he’s done more than enough to stay in the conversation for next year’s Ashes. Whether he’ll be able to go again in the second Test on Tuesday is another matter.
A gentle bouncer from Woakes is pulled for four, well in front of square, by Jamal. The difference between that and Carse’s bouncers was stark – not just the pace but also the angle Carse bowls, always coming in towards the right-hander.
Jamal tries to pull again later in the over but is too early on the shot and toe-ends it into the off side. This is an extended session, two and a half hours, so it’s time for a drinks break. Pakistan have had an excellent first hour 54 minutes.
“I’m off to watch the Asian Dragon Boat Championships this pm,” writes Andrew Benton, “but will England have done the business by the time I get back this eve? I’ve a feeling that Salman and Jamal will be in for a long session.”
I thought I was a pessimist but some of today’s emails are making me feel like Dale Cooper (the good one).
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47th over: Pakistan 185-6 (Salman 61, Jamal 40) Carse goes around the wicket to harass Jamal, who gloves an attempted hook over Smith’s head for a single. This is good stuff from Carse, really hostile on what remains a lifeless pitch.
Salman, who looks more comfortable against Carse, takes the rest of the over. England have bowled to a couple of fine No7s in recent weeks: first Kamindu Mendis and now Salman Agha.
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46th over: Pakistan 183-6 (Salman 60, Jamal 39) Woakes changes ends to replace Atkinson. I’d have been tempted to go to Jack Leach but what the hell do I know. Jamal pulls for four to bring up the century partnership from only 121 balls.
You’re thinking it, aren’t you? Relax, one wicket will bring three.
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45th over: Pakistan 178-6 (Salman 59, Jamal 35) Jamal is okay to continue. He knows what’s coming because England have a 2/7 field, and one of the two is a fly slip.
Carse keeps him waiting by bowling a length delivery, to which Jamal gets solidly in line. A bouncer goes over his shoulder and a shortish delivery is steered to the right of the fly slip for a couple.
Pakistan need 89 runs to make England bat again.
44.2 overs: Pakistan 174-6 (Salman 59, Jamal 33) Ouch. Jamal turns his back on a bouncer from Carse that follows him and clatters into the back of the helmet. He kisses his helmet and seems okay, but he’ll need a concussion test.
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44th over: Pakistan 174-6 (Salman 59, Jamal 31) Salman and Jamal look pretty comfortable. Let’s take the positives: one last bit of hard yakka will make England appreciate this victory even more. That spell yesterday evening, when Pakistan were still a bit shell-shocked, was pivotal to the (probable) result of this game. Had England wasted the new ball they might be facing a bore draw.
43rd over: Pakistan 170-6 (Salman 56, Jamal 30) Brydon Carse comes on for Woakes and immediately inconveniences Jamal with a sharp lifter. Jamal played it well but looked slightly startled by how much life Carse had managed to extract from the wicket. He’s had a fine debut and, as Athers says on Sky, was the pick of the England attack yesterday.
“As a long standing England supporter still scarred by Adelaide, is there a chance the final record to fall on this ground is for England to be the first team to still lose after scoring such a monumental first innings...” says Tom van der Gucht. “If these guys hang around and get a lead of more than a 100 then England panic falling into a massive collapse where everyone tries tk Bazball on acid their way out of it - throwing wickets away to wild yahoos in a desperate hope of wellying their way out of trouble. I need to lie down.”
I was going to lightly edit your email but I prefer the breathless panic of the original.
42nd over: Pakistan 169-6 (Salman 55, Jamal 30) Salman touches Atkinson to fine leg to reach a really good half-century. Chuck in his first-innings hundred and he has scored 156 runs without being dismissed.
The TV commentators are discussing Pakistan’s squad for the second Test. I can’t see wholesale changes – that’s not how Jason Gillespie works – but there’s a case for asking Babar Azam whether he needs a break to refresh mentally. Graham Gooch did that in 1989 and within a year he was biffing 333.
41st over: Pakistan 162-6 (Salman 48, Jamal 30) Still no real demons in the pitch, so England might have to go to the well to break this partnership. Salman almost saves them the bother when he mishits a pull off Woakes. The ball teases the two short midwickets before landing safely.
“Can I ask: what’s the reasons for the poor crowds?” says Johnny. “I have just seen a drone shot of the ground which shows it is basically oon the edge of a city, not some out-of-town stadium. Is it a pricing issue, loss of interest, or a reflection on the nation’s feelings of this current side? Genuine question, as I don’t think I have ever seen a Test with such an empty stadium.”
You can ask but I’m not sure I have an answer. It’s definitely not a pricing issue, and I fear this kind of crowd is quite normal for a Test in Pakistan these days. During one of the intervals yesterday, Sky showed highlights of Pakistan’s epic win over England on this ground in 2005-06; you couldn’t fail to notice how vibrant the crowd was then.
40th over: Pakistan 161-6 (Salman 47, Jamal 30) Salman guides Atkinson between keeper and gully for four. England don’t have any slips because, well, you’ve seen the pitch haven’t you.
This has been an impressive, proud partnership because it would have been very easy to slog the ball up in the air and get the nightmare over and done with.
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39th over: Pakistan 154-6 (Salman 42, Jamal 30) Chris Woakes starts with a short mid-off and short mid-on for Jamal. He flicks a couple of runs to fine leg and defends the rest of the over. A solid start for Pakistan.
38th over: Pakistan 154-6 (Salman 42, Jamal 28) Jamal chips Atkinson not far wide of Carse, one of two short midwickets. England have been very imaginative in the field. That aside, a quiet first over.
In other news, here’s the Test Match Special overseas link.
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England only need three wickets today. Abrar Ahmed is still in hospital with a fever, which is a little worrying, so he won’t bat.
Gus Atkinson is going to open the bowling to Salman Ali Agha.
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Chris Woakes speaks to Sky Sports
We spent a lot of time in the field and it takes it out of you, so we have to thank the batters for giving us a rest. They put on a masterclass.
It’s been a really good pitch and you’d expect guys to score runs, but the levels of fitness and concentration… it’s an incredible achievement.
[On Harry Brook] You could see incredible talent but you still need to prove it at international level. You can never say, flat out, ‘this kid’s gonna be a star’. You need to put in the hard work to go with that talent and he’s done that.
In these conditions you really want to make the first few overs count, especially when they’ve been out in the field for so long, and thankfully I managed to find a crack with that first delivery. But you do have in the back of your mind: ‘This is the moment’ and you want to put a marker down.
You have to refuel all the time. You literally can’t get enough in. And even though you’re constantly taking on fluids, you hardly ever need to go to the toilet which shows how much you lose.
You don’t want to bowl on pitches like this too often but I think we’ve done a great job as a unit. We’ll keep coming today, however long it takes.
And you thought Ben Stokes’ England were pushing the envelope
This is how good Harry Brook is. Joe Root made his highest Test score, becoming England’s leading runscorer in the process, and he was still partially overshadowed.
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Preamble
We shouldn’t take any of this for granted, you know. One day, probably sooner than we expect, England will be crap again and we’ll wonder whether all that Bazball stuff actually happened. They scored eight hundred and how many?
England fans have waited their whole lives for a team like this. They’re not the best in the world, but they might be the most exciting in Test history. And they keep pulling off mind-boggling victories. It started when Jonny Bairstow went berserk at Trent Bridge in 2022, and the list should have another entry today: Multan 2024, when England got blood out of the stone 20 times* and scrawled WE WOZ ERE all over the record books.
Pakistan will resume this morning on 152 for 6, still 115 behind, and it seems unlikely that Abrar Ahmed will bat. Barring the mother of all Danny Morrisons, England will make it four wins out of four in Pakistan under Baz and Ben. Before that their record away to Pakistan (including series in the UAE) was played 31, won two.
I don’t know what else to tell you, so here’s Simon Burnton’s report on a day that, even by England’s standards, was quite extraordinary.
* Or 19 if Abrar doesn’t bat
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