Sajid and Noman's 20 on 20, Pakistan Beat England with Spin

Despite scoring 556 runs in the first innings of the opening Test at home against England, Pakistan suffered a defeat by an innings margin. However, after leaving out Babar Azam, Shaheen Shah Afridi, and others from the squad, Shan Masood’s team bounced back in the second Test at the same venue, Multan. Thanks to the brilliance of the spinners, they secured a massive 152-run victory.

The three-match Test series is now level at 1-1. The series-deciding third and final Test will begin on October 24 in Rawalpindi.

In a shaky Pakistan XI, Kamran Ghulam, making his debut in place of Babar Azam, shone brightly. He played a brilliant knock of 118 runs off 224 balls, helping Pakistan post a score of 366 runs. Opener Saim Ayub contributed 77 runs.

In reply to Pakistan's 366, England got off to a great start. Ben Duckett’s century had Ben Stokes' team cruising ahead. They reached 211 runs with just two wickets down. That’s when Sajid Khan entered the scene. The off-spinner’s venomous spin dismantled the English batting lineup, restricting them to 291 runs. Sajid Khan bowled 26.2 overs, taking 7 wickets for 111 runs, while left-arm spinner Noman Ali claimed the remaining three wickets.

In Pakistan's second innings, Kamran Ghulam couldn’t do much and fell for 26 runs, but Salman Ali Agha’s 63 helped Pakistan reach 221. England was set a target of 297 runs.

To defend 296 runs, Pakistan decided not to use their pacers in the final innings. Spinners Sajid Khan and Noman Ali bowled all 33.3 overs, and that was enough to bowl England out.

This time, it was Noman Ali who grabbed more wickets. He took 8 wickets for 46 runs in 16.3 overs, while Sajid Khan took 2 wickets for 93 runs in 17 overs. England was bowled out for 144, giving Pakistan a victory by 152 runs.

Just like in the first innings, the Sajid-Noman duo took all 10 English wickets in the second innings as well. This is the 7th time in Test cricket history that two bowlers have combined to take all 20 wickets in a match.

After six losses as Test captain, Shan Masood finally celebrated his first victory. The hero of this win, Sajid Khan, was named Player of the Match.