A 24-year-old record has been broken by 31-year-old Pakistan’s off-spinner Sajid Khan, by getting five wickets, in the first innings of the ongoing second test match in Multan Cricket Stadium against England. This record was set by Saqlain Mushtaq in Rawalpindi back in 2000.
On home ground, a total of seven wickets were taken by him, giving just 111 runs in 26.2 overs, showing his marvelous efforts, and the remaining three wickets were taken by Left-arm spinner Noman Ali, by giving 103 runs only. Well, for Sajid Khan, this achievement can be a turning point in his tenure, by getting the title of record breaker after almost a quarter of the century in his home ground.
During the first innings, he showed a splendid performance, where the England batters were continuously disturbed by his bowling actions. He did an amazing job by having three wickets in just ten balls, in the closing session of the match the last day.
The last Pakistani off-spinner to take five or more wickets in a Test match at home was the legendary Saqlain Mushtaq, who set the record way back in 2000 while playing against England in Rawalpindi. After him, this record was unbeaten for about 24 years. No one could ever break this record in home ground. Well, it’s a great honor for Sajid Khan to beat this record with his amazing bowling techniques.
In the first innings, Pakistan won the toss and elected to bat first, scoring a total of 366 runs. The debut player Kamran Ghulam, played the most important part of innings by making his first Test century with a solid 118 runs, supported by his fellow player Saim Ayub’s important contribution of 77 runs.
Earlier, when England restarted their innings on Day 3 at 239-6 with Jamie Smith (12*) and Brydon Carse (2*) on the crease. However, they could only add nine runs in the morning before Sajid Khan dismissed Carse. The off-spinner soon managed to send Matthew Potts (6) back while Smith’s wicket was taken by Noman after scoring 21.
Jack Leach successfully added 25 runs to the team’s total score, and Sajid Khan ended the innings by taking the wicket of Shoaib Bashir.
England’s batting collapse on the third day, within the first hour of play, limited to just 291 runs, showcased the dominance of Pakistan’s spin bowlers, with Sajid Khan’s remarkable seven-wicket haul and Noman Ali’s three-wicket contribution playing a pivotal role in dismantling the opposition’s batting line-up.
Ben Duckett’s impressive 114 runs for England highlighted his individual talent, but it wasn’t sufficient to overcome Pakistan’s first-innings total. The hosts won their first home Test since 2021 following a horrible run for the past year where they did not win any Test match. This led to the board introducing many seemingly unfathomable changes to the team and management. This defeat has further worsened England’s chances of making it to the World Test Championship Final. Although Pakistan, too, do not have a very realistic chance of going to the next stage, it’s uplifting for the team to see their strategy working for once.
