Pakistan suffered a major blow in international cricket as they lost to England by an innings and 47 runs in the opening Test of a three-match series. The defeat came after Pakistan was bowled out for just 220 runs in their second innings, leaving fans disheartened.
Earlier, on Day 4 in Multan, Pakistan’s batsmen struggled to hold their ground, managing only 152 runs for the loss of six wickets in their second innings. This followed England’s imposing first-innings total of 823 runs — one of the highest scores in Test history.
Opener Abdullah Shafique was dismissed for a golden duck, falling to a length delivery from Chris Woakes that sharply swung back into the stumps. Saim Ayub added 25 runs from 35 balls before being caught by Ben Duckett off the bowling of Brydon Carse. Shan Masood, who scored 11 runs, was caught by Zak Crawley off Atkinson’s delivery, while Babar Azam managed only five runs before being caught by Ollie Smith from another Atkinson ball.
Carse bowled Mohammad Rizwan for 10 runs after facing 19 deliveries, as Carse’s pace and movement dominated the Pakistani lineup. Saud Shakeel briefly offered resistance with 29 runs before being stumped off a Jack Leach delivery. By the close of Day 4, Salman Agha (41) and Aamer Jamal (29) remained at the crease, but Pakistan’s hopes were fading.
England, meanwhile, demonstrated their batting superiority in the first innings, declaring at a mammoth 823 for 7, securing a commanding 267-run lead. Their batting lineup showed incredible depth, with Joe Root leading the charge with an impressive 262 runs from 375 balls.
Ben Duckett contributed 84 runs, while Zak Crawley added 78. The highlight came from Harry Brook, who stunned Pakistan with a masterful 317, helping England maintain a blistering run rate of 5.48 across the innings. The final ten overs alone produced 81 runs at an aggressive rate of 8.10.
Pakistan’s bowlers struggled on the flat pitch, finding little help from the conditions. Despite scoring over 500 runs in their first innings, Pakistan still fell to a heavy innings defeat — a rare occurrence in Test cricket.
Read More: Saadia Iqbal becomes first Pakistani woman to lead T20 rankings
