MULTAN (Reuters): Second-inning collapse led Pakistan to a disappointing inning and 47-run defeat against England on the fifth day of the record-breaking first Test of a three-match series at Multan Cricket Stadium on Friday.
With Abrar Ahmed not batting due to illness, the tourists reduced Pakistan to 220-9 after some early resistance to spark huge celebrations among a small but vocal group of traveling English fans.
Pakistan resumed on a precarious 152-6 and Salman Agha was the first to depart in the morning after a defiant 63, with the introduction of Jack Leach helping England snap his 109-run partnership with Aamer Jamal.
England’s pace bowlers peppered the two overnight batsmen with bouncers earlier and Jamal recovered after being hit on the side of the head by a fiery ball from Brydon Carse to bring up his half-century.
He was then granted a lifeline when stand-in captain Ollie Pope put down a difficult chance at square-leg – England’s fifth dropped catch of the innings – and remained not out on 55.
Leach pulled off a stunning catch off his own bowling to remove Shaheen Afridi before having Naseem Shah stumped to seal the victory.
England had declared after making their highest total in 86 years, a colossal 823-7 in 150 overs after Harry Brook’s 317 and Joe Root’s 262, and extracted the most out of a lifeless pitch at the Multan Cricket Stadium to rattle Pakistan on Thursday.
The hosts had flexed their muscles in the early part of the test with 556 in the first innings but found themselves under the gun trailing England by 115 runs at the end of the fourth day and they folded under pressure.
Pakistan XI: Shan Masood (captain), Saud Shakeel (vice-captain), Saim Ayub, Abdullah Shafique, Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan (wicket-keeper), Salman Ali Agha, Aamir Jamal, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Abrar Ahmad
England XI: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope (captain), Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jamie Smith, Chris Woakes, Gus Atkinson, Brydon Carse, Jack Leach, Shoaib Bashir
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