Multan: Star batter Babar Azam showed great grace while congratulating the Pakistan team for their stunning victory by 152 runs against England in the 2nd Test in Multan. Babar was dropped from the last two tests by the revamped selection committee after a flop run in Test cricket continued in the opening Test in Multan.
Pakistan’s gamble to axe Babar paid off as the Men in Green, who made four changes in the playing XI, scripted a miraculous turnaround to stun the English side and level the 2-match series 1-1.
Besides Babar, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah were also not part of the team in the second Test. Both fast bowlers were rested to manage the workload and make space for a spin-heavy attack on a reused Multan pitch.
Both Babar and Shaheen took to X (formerly Twitter) to congratulate the Pakistan team for a monumental win.
Well done, team!
Fantastic win. Proud of the effort and spirit. 🇵🇰👏 pic.twitter.com/TYruIjEF9u
— Babar Azam (@babarazam258) October 18, 2024
A sensational turnaround
Pakistan came into the match on the back of a damaging and scarring defeat in the opening Test but a remarkable performance by their spin-heavy attack turned the tables in dramatic circumstances. The win in Multan also ended Pakistan’s 11-match winless streak at home.
Finger spinners Noman Ali (11) and Sajid Khan (9) – picked up all 20 wickets, as the visitors, chasing 261 runs, were bundled out 144 in the morning session of Day 5.
It was a sensational performance by Kamran Ghulam, who was named as a replacement for Babar Azam for the last 2 Tests. Ghulam hit a superb century on his Test debut to set the tone for the rest of the team.
Pakistan’s win comes after an innings defeat despite scoring over 500 runs and sets up the series perfectly for a series decider. The third and final Test will played at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium from October 24.
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