S Poddar
England Outwits Pakistan
History was witnessed at the Multan Cricket Stadium when England ended up winning their first Test series by an innings and 47 runs over Pakistan. The win was a historical victory for the team since it avenged the defeat earlier suffered by the team in Pakistan while also carving out names in record history books.
Pakistan Fight Back with Hard Knocks
Though they came out with a mind-boggling 556 in the first innings, it turned out to be quite the reverse as Pakistan faced the onslaught of batting from the English. Joe Root and Harry Brook batted with elan and tenacity to register a total of 823 for the English.
England’s Clinical Bowling
Yet it was the bowling of England that proved to be the game-changer in the game. Perhaps it is a reward for the services of Jack Leach, who after a long time has been reinstated to the playing eleven. He did much of the job in upsetting Pakistan’s batting order. His accurate bowling and great fielding act saved many critical wickets and left England in a strong position.
Pakistan Struggle End
Pakistan’s batting order could not stand up to the test against the rigid line-up of England’s bowling, although some like Iqbal and Malik did provide the usual Spartan effort. They could not keep out any attack and allowed themselves to give in to England’s relentless pressure. Such loss made Pakistan look into their batting frailties and improve for good starts.
Historic Achievement
England victory does not only reflect their prowess and resilience but also symbolises a very few high points in the history books of Test cricket as a side achieving more than 500 runs in its first innings and then losing by an innings happens very rarely in cricket history. This triumph shall be relished as one of the finest moments in the cricketing history of England.
Future Prospects
There is little time for the Pakistan team to reconsider and recover from this defeat. They will be required to reflect upon the mistakes that they committed and make their batting performance more robust as they may have to look forward to more pressure mounted on the England bowlers in the matches ahead. Some of the crucial matches are coming up for both teams as they seek to obtain an edge over the other in the series.
England would feel pretty elated by this win and try to make the most of this momentum. Their performance in this Test match has indeed raised their ranks as a force in international cricket. They would look to continue the winning streak, and sooner than later, they would be the leading power on cricketing charts.
