Pakistan's woe continues as England wins in Multan

From the unimaginable to the inevitable, Pakistan becomes the first team in the history of Test cricket to lose by an innings even after scoring more than 500 in their first innings. On day five at Multan, England wrapped up the victory. A hundred-run stand between Salman Agha and Aamer Jamal went in vain as Jack Leach took four wickets and bowled England to a famous win.

Pakistan’s fate had been sealed when they lost their 6 batters before even scoring 100 runs. Salman and Jamal did their best by putting on 109 for the seventh wicket. But Pakistan was so far behind that it was not enough to make England's batters put on their pads for the second innings.

Captaincy under Shan Masood has been a horror show for Pakistan as they lost six consecutive matches, including two against Bangladesh.

With Pakistan a man down due to Abrar Ahmed being hospitalized, England needed only patience to find an opening. Leach delivered with his fourth ball, after Ollie Pope had opted for pace bowling for most of the first hour. Salman was trapped lbw by a delivery that would have hit leg stump. Two wickets in the span of four balls sealed England’s victory.

The victory was built on a record-breaking batting performance, with Harry Brook's triple-century and Joe Root's 262 helping England post the fourth-highest total in Test history. Despite the pitch remaining fairly steady into the fifth day, with occasional assistance from widening cracks, Pakistan's early collapse while facing a 267-run deficit made the outcome inevitable.

Resuming on 152 for 6, Salman and Jamal displayed some resistance.  Salman reached fifty for the second time in the match with a delicate boundary off Gus Atkinson.

Meanwhile, Jamal faced a barrage of short-pitched deliveries from Brydon Carse. Even After taking a blow to the helmet, he bravely continued, dispatching several bouncers to the boundary to ensure his second Test fifty. 

Leach finally broke the partnership, beating Salman's inside edge, with the decision confirmed on review. Shaheen Afridi did not stick around for long. Then Naseem Shah was stumped after missing a delivery, as England completed one of their most remarkable victories—not just of the Bazball era, but in their history.

Source- espncricinfo

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