England defeated Pakistan by 47 runs and an innings in Multan to claim their fourth consecutive win on Pakistan’s soil.
After the first three days, no one around the world could have predicted this outcome. England ended Day 3 at 492/3, still trailing by 64 runs from Pakistan’s imposing total of 556. However, England’s tactical brilliance and sharp analysis of the evolving situation turned the game dramatically in their favor over the last two days. In a remarkable display, England posted a mammoth total of 823/7 declared on Day 4 of the Multan Test and took six crucial Pakistani wickets by the end of the day, swinging the momentum completely in their favor. Day 5 saw England wrap up Pakistan’s innings in just 90 minutes, bowling them out for 220. Jack Leach led the charge with 4 wickets, while Carse and Atkinson picked up 2 each, and Woakes claimed 1, sealing an emphatic win that had seemed unthinkable just two days earlier.
Summary of Test Match
The match began on a high note for Pakistan, as they posted a commanding 556 in their first innings, courtesy of centuries from Abdullah Shafique, Shan Masood, and Salman Ali Agha. However, England responded with an extraordinary batting performance, stretching their innings across almost five sessions. Their total of 823/7 declared included record-breaking contributions, most notably Harry Brook’s monumental 317 and Joe Root’s masterful 262. This left Pakistan trailing by a daunting 267 runs. Despite the pitch remaining favorable for batting, Pakistan crumbled on Day 5, bowled out for 220 as England claimed another historic victory on Pakistani soil.
Hall of Shame: Records Pakistan Won’t Want to Remember
The Multan Test also etched Pakistan’s name into the record books for all the wrong reasons. Captain Shan Masood now holds the unfortunate record of being the first Pakistan captain to suffer six consecutive Test match defeats. Adding to the ignominy, Pakistan became the first team in Test history to lose by an innings despite posting a 500-plus total in their first innings. This crushing loss has now also marked Pakistan’s worst-ever home defeat. For the first time in World Test Championship (WTC) history, Men in Green finds itself sitting last in the WTC rankings. To make matters worse, Day 4 was riddled with records made against home team, further highlighting their struggles in this match.
Also Read: England Secure Historic Victory with Innings Win over Pakistan in Multan Test
PCB Reacts: Major Changes Following Humiliating Loss
In the wake of this devastating defeat, PCB swiftly restructured its selection committee. Just hours after England sealed their commanding innings-and-47-run victory in Multan, the PCB announced the inclusion of Aleem Dar, Aaqib Javed, and Azhar Ali as new members, joining Asad Shafiq, analyst Hassan Cheema, along with the captain and coach, who were already part of the committee. All seven members will now have a vote in the selection process, while non-voting members include Azhar Mahmood (assistant coach), Bilal Afzal (advisor to the PCB chairman), Nadeem Khan (Director of High Performance), and Usman Wahla (Director of International Cricket).
This shake-up comes just 10 days after Mohammad Yousuf resigned from the selection panel, marking yet another overhaul of the selection team, with no chief selector named. Since August 2021, PCB has rotated through 26 different selectors. The timing of these changes, immediately following Pakistan’s historic loss their third consecutive home Test defeat and seventh in their last nine highlights the urgency within the PCB.
The new committee’s immediate task is to select a squad for the second Test in Multan, with several players’ performances under scrutiny. Despite Shan Masood scoring a century in the first innings, his captaincy, now blemished by six consecutive losses, is expected to come under serious discussion. And possibly he will be sacked after the series with Agha Salman and M.Rizwan are the strong contenders to be the next captain of team. Pakistan’s rapid decline has seen them slip to the bottom of the WTC standings, with only 16 points from eight matches.
Aleem Dar’s appointment, in particular, is a notable one. Having stepped down from the ICC’s elite umpire panel last year, Dar is a rare case of an umpire transitioning into a selector’s role, a decision that is bound to attract attention.
