In a historic and shocking turn of events, Pakistan became the first cricket team to lose a Test match by the first innings despite scoring more than 500 runs in the first innings. England, led by Ollie Pope, put up a dominant performance in the opening Test of the three-match series, defeating Pakistan by an innings and 47 runs.
This result raised eyebrows in the cricket world as no team had suffered such a defeat before after scoring a massive 556 runs in the first innings. England’s brilliant comeback with both bat and ball stunned the home team in Multan.
England’s record partnership
The foundation of England’s resounding victory was laid by an extraordinary 454-run partnership between Joe Root and Harry Brook. The stand, which began on day three, decimated Pakistan’s bowlers and broke the 67-year-old record of the highest partnership by an English player in Test cricket. Root played a superb innings of 262 while Brook scored 317 runs off just 322 balls, surpassing Virender Sehwag’s highest personal score for Multan.
Glenn Maxwell set to return to red ball in Victoria’s second XI at Eyes Australia Test venue
Their combined efforts gave England a massive first innings total of 823/7, giving them a commanding lead of 267 runs. England’s batsmen tired Pakistan’s bowling attack with strokes that combined orthodoxy and innovation, such as reverse scoops, flicks, and cover drives that chased defenders to the boundary.
Pakistan struggles in the bottom of the second inning
When Pakistan came out to bat in the second innings, they were already under immense pressure. The home team collapsed under England’s rigorous bowling attack and lost wickets regularly. Chris Woakes made the early breakthrough when he dismissed Abdullah Shafique for a golden duck.
Skipper Shan Masood attempted to steady the innings but was soon sent back to the pavilion by Gus Atkinson. Saim Ayub played a few attacking strokes but failed to make a lasting impact. The biggest blow came when Pakistan’s star batsman Babar Azam failed to capitalize on the opportunity to overturn his low score. He was dismissed after just five runs, barely able to block Atkinson’s delivery.
Pakistan continued to lose wickets rapidly. Saud Shakeel and Mohammed Rizwan got off to a fast start and the team struggled to 152/6. The only resistance came from Agha Salman, who was unbeaten on 41 at the end of the match. Spinner Abrar Ahmed, who was hospitalized with a high fever, did not come out to bat in the second innings.
England’s bowling attack secures victory
On the final day, it didn’t take long for England to finish off Pakistan’s innings. England’s spinners played a key role in cleaning up the tail, with Jack Leach claiming the last three wickets to finish with figures of 3/42. Pakistan ended up being all out for 220, giving England a comprehensive win by an innings and 47 runs.
England’s bowling attack led by Gus Atkinson and Chris Woakes was tenacious throughout the match, putting constant pressure on the Pakistan batsmen. Woakes’ incisive opening spell and Atkinson’s ability to exploit situations prevented Pakistan from establishing a partnership in the second innings.
Joe Root Hundreds after Pakistan’s last win at home
The last time Pakistan won a home Test match, Joe Root had amassed 19 Test centuries and 8,249 runs in his career. Since then, the prolific England batsman has added 16 hundreds more to his tally, taking his total to 35 centuries and scoring an impressive 12,664 runs, establishing himself as one of the all-time greats in Test cricket.
aftermath
The loss left the Pakistan camp in disarray, looking for answers after suffering a monumental collapse following a strong first innings performance. The hosts will need to regroup quickly and there are two more Tests left in the series. On the other hand, England is ahead 1-0 and heading into the second game full of confidence.
For Pakistan, the focus will now be on correcting their mistakes and finding a way to respond in the next match. England’s comprehensive victory, highlighted by record-breaking performances from Root and Brook, will go down as one of the most memorable Test performances of recent times.
Glenn Maxwell set to return to red ball in Victoria’s second XI at Eyes Australia Test venue
Brief score:
- Pakistan: 556 & 220 (Agha Salman 41*, Saud Shakeel 29; Jack Leach 3-42, Gus Atkinson 2-28)
- uk: 823/7 December (Harry Brook 317, Joe Root 262, Syme Ayub 2-101)
This Test match will be remembered not only for England’s stunning victory, but also for the fact that Pakistan, despite scoring over 500 runs in their first innings, could not avoid losing their innings – an unprecedented feat in the history of Test cricket.
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