3rd Test, Rawalpindi, October 24, 2024, 10:30 AM
England
267/10(68.2ov) & 112/10(37.2ov)
Pakistan
344/10(96.4ov) & 37/1(3.1ov)
Pakistan beat England by 9 wickets
Best Batsmen
R
B
4S
6S
SR
Best Bowler
O
R
W
Econ
Man of the Match
Saud Shakeel
Commentry
And with that, we wrap up this intriguing Test series! Pakistan showed resilience and came from 1-0 down to win the series by 2-1. The trophy is presented to Shan Masood now and he walks towards his team to celebrate. What a turnaround! England now moves to the Caribbean Islands, where they play an ODI series against the Windies first. It will be on Thursday, the 31st of October, at 6 pm GMT and the hosts now have an ODI and a T20 series lined up against the Aussies. The first ODI game will be on the 4th of November at 3.30 am GMT. Hope you guys enjoyed our company for this Test series. Until next time, folks. Cheers!
Shan Masood, the skipper of Pakistan, says that the series win came after a long time and it means a lot for them. He says that this was a team effort and its a special moment for them. Adds that it was the small things they did right that impacted the game. Says that there were many individual performances as well and they will make sure they continue with the same momentum.
Ben Stokes, the skipper of England says it is disappointing losing games and losing series but credits Pakistan for the way they played. Mentions that regardless of the results there have been good individual performances and positives to take out. Appreciates Rehan Ahmed and Shoaib Bashir and says it's special for them to play in front of their families and mentions that they are promising prospects with great careers ahead of them.
Sajid Khan is the Player of the Series. He says that he is happy to win the series. Adds that it was a team effort and everyone is supportive. He says that the wicket was a bit tricky and they made sure they played accordingly. Mentions that Noman Ali was excellent and he feels that this award should have been shared. He ends by saying that the crowd was excellent as well.
Saud Shakeel is the Player of the Match for his instrumental knock of 134 runs in the first innings. He says it was a difficult pitch but with a clear mindset, he stuck to his plans and batted well. Mentions that he enjoys playing against fast bowlers but scoring is important. Appreciates the way Noman Ali and Sajid Khan batted alongside him and they dominated with the bat which got them the lead.
Stay tuned for the Presentation Ceremony...
Pakistan adopted a strategy of utilizing a spin-heavy attack, opting for all spin bowlers without including any pace throughout the game. Noman Ali was the standout performer, claiming six wickets, while Sajid Khan contributed significantly by taking the remaining four wickets, leading to a dominant spin-bowling display that dismantled the English batting lineup! Coming to chase a mere 36, Pakistan lost just one wicket. Their skipper, Shan Masood scored a quickfire 23 to wrap up the game in style.
Coming to bat in the third innings, the English batters struggled. They batted for just 9 overs before losing 3 quick wickets, leaving them in a precarious position at 24 for 3 at the close of the Day 2. Resuming on Day 3, the pattern unfortunately continued, with wickets continued to fall at regular intervals as the English batters struggled to establish any semblance of stability. They were eventually bowled out of a mere 112, leaving Pakistan just 36 runs to chase.
Rehan Ahmed was the standout performer for England, taking four crucial wickets to keep Pakistan under pressure. Shoaib Bashir and Gus Atkinson contributed with three and two wickets, respectively, while Jack Leach added one. Pakistan ended their first innings with a 77-run lead, which eventually proved monumental!
Coming to bat, Pakistan batters made a steady start. They ended the day with 73/3. On Day 2, England bowled with discipline, applying pressure that led to the dismissal of Mohammad Rizwan and subsequent quick wickets. However, Saud Shakeel displayed resilience, scoring a century and forming a vital 88-run partnership with Noman Ali, which helped Pakistan recover from early setbacks. Sajid Khan's aggressive batting at the tail end further boosted Pakistan's total, allowing them to finish their innings strongly and achieve a significant lead, despite early struggles that left them trailing by 194 runs at one point.
England chose to bat first and were bowled out for 267. The side showed great resilience after a shaky start, with Zak Crawley’s dismissal triggering a mini-collapse that left England at 118 for 6. However, Jamie Smith and Gus Atkinson bridged the gap with an important partnership, adding over 100 runs and stabilizing the innings. Yet, it was Pakistan’s spinners who dominated proceedings, with Sajid Khan leading the charge, with his six-wicket haul. The pitch showed its challenges right from the start.
What an intriguing series of Test cricket we have witnessed between these two sides! Pakistan win the series by 2-1. What a turnaround this has been. After being 1 down to winning two back-to-back games to make the series theirs, who would have thought? The Pakistan dressing room is up and celebrating, and why not?
In over# 4
6
Shoaib Bashir 10/0(1.1)
3.1
6
SIX! Launches it with a clean strike and Shan Masood seals the game and wraps the series in commanding fashion! Pakistan win by 9 wickets and take the series 2-1! This is flighted by Bashir, just outside off, Shan Masood charges down the track and with an extended arm clatters it over long off for a biggie.
In over# 3
1
4
4
4
4
0W
Jack Leach 27/1(2)
2.6
1
Charges down to the pitch of the full length ball, on middle, but miscues his swipe to long on for a single Pakistan just 5 runs away now!
2.5
4
FOUR! And again! Pitched up by Leach, on middle, Shan Masood reverse sweeps it through point for another boundary.
2.4
4
FOUR! The skipper is in a hurry to wrap up the game! This is tossed up, on middle and off, Shan Masood skips down the track and tonks it straight over the bowler's head for a boundary. A couple of inches further would have taken it all the way.
2.3
4
FOUR MORE! Back to back boundaries! Bowls it on off, Shan Masood gets low and plays a reverse sweep through point for yet another boundary. He looks in a hurry now!