England’s bowlers, led by spinner Jack Leach, dismayed Pakistan to secure victory in the first Test in Multan on Friday, after a record-breaking partnership between Harry Brook and Joe Root shifted the momentum of the match.
On Day 5, England swiftly removed Pakistan’s final four batters, dismissing the hosts for 200 and winning by an innings and 47 runs, giving them the lead in the three-match series.
Leach was instrumental with figures of 4-30, breaking Pakistan’s only significant partnership on the fifth day by removing Salman Agha, who fought hard for his 63. Pakistan faced a potential defeat a day earlier when Salman and Aamer Jamal steadied the innings at 82-6.
The pair survived the rest of Day 4, forcing England to wait another 12 overs on the final day before Leach struck to trigger Pakistan’s collapse. The victory marked a historic first in Test cricket: never before had a team won by an innings after conceding 500 or more runs in the first innings since the format’s inception in 1877.
Brook scored a remarkable 317, while Root contributed a record-breaking 262 in England’s massive total of 823-7 declared, giving the visitors a 267-run lead.
Leach also took a sharp return catch to dismiss Shaheen Shah Afridi for 10, and had Naseem Shah stumped for six, wrapping up Pakistan’s second innings. Abrar Ahmed, the last man, couldn’t bat due to being hospitalized with a high fever.
Pakistan’s collapse followed a major turnaround on a flat Multan pitch, which saw 1,379 runs scored and only 17 wickets lost. England’s 454-run partnership, their highest for any wicket in Test cricket, handed them an unlikely advantage after Pakistan posted an impressive 556 in their first innings.
By the close of Day 4, England had amassed the fourth-highest Test inning total of 823-7, while Pakistan was struggling at 152-6.
Joe Root, along the way, became England’s all-time leading Test run-scorer. Pakistan captain Shan Masood has now faced six consecutive losses since taking charge last year, including three in Australia and two at home to Bangladesh. Pakistan have gone 11 Tests without a home win, their last victory coming against South Africa in February 2021.
The second Test is set to begin at the same venue on Tuesday, with the third in Rawalpindi starting on October 24.
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