Noman Ali and Sajid Khan bagged 20 wickets in 2nd Test against England© AFP
No Babar Azam, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, no problem as Pakistan brought their 1111-match winless streak in Test format on home soil to an end on Friday. Pakistan secured a thumping 152-run victory in Multan to level the series at 1-1 against England, with certain newcomers playing pivotal roles in the result. After a humiliating defeat in the first Test against the visiting England, Pakistan turned the table around with a brilliant performance in the second Test, at the same venue, to breathe life into their dwindling form.
Behind Pakistan’s morale-boosting victory against England, however, stood two spinners who bagged all 20 wickets in the match between them. Sajid Khan and Noman Ali bagged all 20 wickets across the two innings. While Sajid claimed figures of 7/111 and 2/93, Noman bagged 3/101 and 8/46 in the two innings.
It’s only the seventh occasion that two bowlers have taken every wicket in a match overall. Neither Noman, nor Sajid were part of the Pakistan team for the first Test. They were drafted into the squad after the Pakistan Cricket Board appointed a newly-constituted selection panel.
After years of agony, Pakistan tasted success in Test format on their home turf for the first time since February 2021. The gamble of playing with a spin-laden lineup paid off as Shan Masood’s six-match horror run losing streak as Pakistan’s Test captain came to an end.
“First one is always special, it has come after some hard times. A lot has happened over the last week. For everyone to work together, to come up with a strategy to pick 20 wickets and make it happen, that’s the most satisfying thing. You have to applaud the group. They have been hungry. You can’t doubt the effort of the guys and their commitment.
“It’ll be special for everyone because it’s come after some tough times and it’s kept us hungry. We are just glad that we were able to put the plans in place, get 20 wickets and were able to back it up some decent first and second innings scores,” Pakistan captain Shan Masood said after the match.
With ANI Inputs
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