Pakistani player Sajid Khan credited the team's efforts for the victory over England.

By Sandy Verma On Oct 19, 2024

Multan: Pakistan's Sajid Khan was named player of the match after their impressive 152-run win over England in the second Test in Multan, leveling the series at 1–1. Reflecting on the team's performance, Sajid expressed his gratitude to the fans and highlighted the collective effort that led to their success. Sajid said in the post-match presentation, “We have lost the last two series, we just supported our process. Thanks to the Multan crowd for all the support.” He stressed the importance of Noman Ali's experience and contribution to the team. “Noman is one of the most experienced players in our team, he shares his experience with all of us and he has played everywhere. I took wickets in the first innings, he took wickets in the second innings. Our combination was good.” Sajid also spoke on the importance of his batting efforts, “In the first innings I got out early and he (Noman) scored runs. In the second innings, I batted under him and it was important to support Agha Bhai. Agha batted the most. Played one of the good innings.” He praised Kamran Ghulam's performance on debut and acknowledged their friendship, “Kami (Kamran Ghulam) did a great job on debut, he is one of my best friends and congratulations to him.” Talking about the match, Pakistan maintained a tight grip on the match after making a comeback as they demolished the visitors' middle order in the first innings. This spectacular victory came after Pakistan lost the first Test match by an innings.

England faltered in their final innings, scoring only 144 runs while chasing a target of 297 runs. England started the fourth day with a score of 36/2, but their innings soon fell apart. Sajid Khan took wickets early, dismissing Ollie Pope for 22 to start the day. The in-form Joe Root soon fell to Noman Ali, out for 18, leaving England struggling at 55/4. Harry Brook, who had scored a triple century at this ground in the first Test, could only score 16 runs before being dismissed by Noman Ali. Jamie Smith was out for 6 runs, which was Noman's fourth wicket of the innings. Captain Ben Stokes attempted to counter-attack Noman Ali produced his career-best performance at the Multan Cricket Stadium, taking 8/46 in the second innings. His remarkable effort took his total of 11 wickets in the match to 147 runs, showing his dominance. Sajid Khan, who took 7 wickets in England's first innings, took 2 more wickets in the second innings. He received the Player of the Match award for his key role in dismantling the English batting lineup. This is Pakistan's first win at home since February 2021. The team last won a Test match at home in Rawalpindi, when they defeated South Africa. Pakistan has played 11 Tests on home soil since February 2021 and four of them have been drawn while they have lost eight matches. Pakistan and England will clash in the third and final Test in Rawalpindi from October 24. (ANI)