uk 823 (Brook 317, Root 262, Duckett 84, Crawley 78) beats for 7 dec. Pakistan 556 (Masood 151, Salman 104*, Shafique 102) and 220 (Salman 63, Jamal 55*, Leach 4-30) 47 runs conceded in 1 innings.
Their fate was virtually sealed when they fell to 6 for 82 in impeccable conditions on the afternoon of the fourth day, crushed by England’s 7 for 823 and declaring that all fighting spirit had been lost. Salman and Jamal did their best to restore their pride by posting 109 for the seventh wicket. However, despite Pakistan posting an impressive 556 in the first innings, it was not enough to get England’s batsmen to bat again and so far they were adrift. .
The defeat extended Pakistan’s horror run under Shan Masood’s captaincy to six in a row and twisted the knife into Pakistan’s abysmal home record, which has seen them winless since February 2021.
This was followed by Joe Root’s record-breaking triple hundred from Harry Brook and 262, which helped England to their fourth-highest total in a Test. And while the pitch continued to play fairly well into the fifth day with the occasional help from widening gaps, an early collapse left Pakistan facing a deficit of 267 runs, leaving the result a formality.
The resumption at 152 to 6 saw more stiff resistance from Salman and Jamal. Memories of Salman’s hundred in the first innings were eroded by the circumstances of the match as he came close to bowling Pakistan’s total on the mound, but he displayed his abilities in more difficult circumstances, smashing Gus Atkinson’s tickling boundary. He reached 50 for the second time in the match.
At the other end Jamal found himself in the crosshairs of Brydon Carse’s short ball attack. A blow to his helmet required a visit to the physiotherapist and a concussion test, but he continued to press on, taking a couple of bumpers to the boundary en route to his second Test fifty. Carse kept coming with a gloved pull over Jamie Smith’s head, and Pope laid down what should have been a regulation catch after Jamal squared his leg.
Meanwhile, Leach made the breakthrough when he deflected Salman’s inside edge, and on reconsideration the dismissal was confirmed. Shaheen Afridi was in no mood to hang around, dropping Carse’s third ball to the ground. But Leach seized the opportunity to make a sharp comeback and Naseem Shah was stumped as England wrapped up one of the most remarkable wins not only of the Bazball era but of all time.
