Spinners Khan and Ali claim all 20 England wickets to earn Pakistan a 152-run win in 2nd test

MULTAN, Pakistan (AP) — Noman Ali and Sajid Khan claimed all 20 wickets on a recycled turning pitch as Pakistan ended a long wait for a home win with a 152-run victory over England in the second test on Friday.

Left-arm spinner Ali took 8-46 to finish with a match haul of 11 wickets and England was bowled out for 144 inside the first session on Day 4 on a tailor-made dry wicket.

Off-spinner Khan took 2-93 to go with his 7-111 in the first innings as both spinners bowled unchanged and ran through the tourists’ batting lineup after Pakistan had set up a daunting target of 297 runs.

The win was first for captain Shan Masood, who lost six tests in a row since being elevated as red-ball skipper last year. It also ended Pakistan’s winless 11-match home run that included four losses against England.

Pakistan’s last home test win came against South Africa in early 2021. Since, besides losing to England, it also lost home tests to Australia and recently 2-0 to Bangladesh.

“The first one is always special, after some rough times,” Masood said. “For the boys to step in, a lot has happened this past week, but we came up with a strategy to get 20 wickets and we made it happen.”

Masood was referring to Pakistan’s wholesale changes for the second test. Debutant Kamran Ghulam made an impeccable century in the first innings after he replaced out-of-form Babar Azam at No. 4 and Pakistan gambled with spinners Khan and Ali, who haven’t played red-ball cricket for nine months.

“Noman and Sajid are seasoned campaigners,” Masood said. “For Kamran it’s never easy to replace one of the best batters (Babar Azam) in the world, but to get that century was special.”

England capitulated against Khan and Ali for the second time in the match after it resumed on 36-2 and needed a further improbable 261 runs for victory of a tricky turning wicket.

Khan gleefully accepted a return catch from Ollie Pope on his second ball of the day before Ali cut through by claiming all the remaining seven wickets as the tourists failed to counter the spin through their sweeps and reverse sweeps.

Captain Ben Stokes, who returned to lead the side after recovering from a torn hamstring, top-scored with 37 before falling in a bizarre fashion. Stokes charged down the wicket to Ali, but the bat flew out of England captain’s hand to backward square leg and he was stumped.

Brydon Carse smashed three sixes against Khan and scored 27 before he edged Ali in the slips as England couldn’t counter the spinners on a wicket which had plenty of cracks and turn.

“We felt we were still in the game and came to chase that down,” Stokes said. “When Pakistan were ahead of the game they could really put their foot down. Tough ask for us, but the way we took the game on today was the only way we could win.”

England had its moments on a difficult wicket before succumbing to Pakistan spinners for 291 runs in the first innings. Ben Duckett scored a century but the middle-order crumbled against Khan and England conceded a vital 75-run lead.

In Pakistan’s second innings, wicketkeeper Jamie Smith and Joe Root dropped Salman Ali Agha in space of three balls before the all-rounder scored a crucial 63 and increased Pakistan’s lead to 296 runs.

“Ben Duckett’s first-innings hundred showed us the way,” Stokes said. “I don’t like to live by hindsight ... no-one means to drop catches, but you don’t get them often behind the wicket (in these conditions).”

England won the first test by an innings and 47 runs last week after posting a record-breaking 823-7 declared. The series-deciding third test begins at Rawalpindi from next Thursday.

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AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket