England make history once more and Test Match cricket is alive and well
Pakistan v England — Multan Day 4.
Pakistan v England — Multan Day 4.
Amid the continual drone of the death of the longer form of Test Match cricket in this ever changing brave new world of immediacy, I’m pleased to report that its death has been greatly exaggerated. There are far more factors at play than merely a New Zealander and a Kiwi born Englishman, their collective love of the sporting art form and their almost childish determination to revitalise, reenergise and reinvent this grand old game. But England coach Brendon McCullum and his great mate and captain Ben Stokes are doing all those things and I believe them to be pioneers who love their sport so much they wish to protect it, nourish it and nurture it into the 21st Century as well as stamping their names forever on the greatest sport in the world for those that follow in their cricketing footsteps in the future. Draws aren’t an option, breaking down the pun intended boundaries to what’s possible is, and being prepared to lose a game in order to possibly win it.
Entertainment. Energy. Engagement. Not entropy.
So much for all that!
England have won another famous victory in Pakistan, this time by the miniscule margin of just 26 runs. This is their second win in consecutive Test Matches, only their fourth all time success in this country and Ben Stokes has become just the third England captain along with Ted Dexter and Nasser Hussain to win a Test Match series in Pakistan. As you’ll read shortly, it was a close run thing and Nasser Hussain was getting rather excited on TV commentary, so let’s re-cap yet another era defining win for this England team as well as the light they’re shining on the continued health of the grand old game.
Somewhat against the odds, this Test Match commenced its 4th day as a live game with both teams enjoying a reasonable argument as to why they started the day as favourites. England should in all honesty have batted Pakistan completely out of the game and even though they set their hosts 355 runs to win on a dead, wearing wicket and, if successful, this would have been Pakistan’s 2nd highest ever total scored in a 4th innings run chase on home soil. The tourists could have made their run chase nigh on impossible with an extra 50–75 runs from their 2nd innings, but quick runs are the order of every day under the stewardship of McCullum and Stokes, and Pakistan still had a tall order to fulfil.
On the other side of the cricket ball, Pakistan had resolutely stuck in the game and started this 4th day on an overnight total of 198–4, needing a further 157 runs for victory. With batsman Saud Shakeel ending yesterday’s play with a fierce determination to remain not out overnight he succeeded by digging in, “dropping anchor” and at 54 not out overnight, was Pakistan’s central hub with which to bat around as they inched their way toward their match winning runs target.
Here are your “milestone moments” from yet another fascinating day’s Test Match cricket:
5.06am FAHEEM ASHRAF caught Crawley bowled Root (10).
England snag a vital early wicket inside the first quarter of an hour’s play. Surprisingly and seemingly inspired as usual, Ben Stokes turned to ex England captain and part-time spin bowler Joe Root to open the day’s bowling and in his previous over to Ashraf he’d forced a false shot from the 28 year old, and a leading edge that fell safely to ground. However, Root’s “Golden Arm” snaffled his man in the next over with Ashraf outside edging a sharp catch to Zak Crawley at slip, England had a precious breakthrough, and Joe Root’s uncanny ability to grab a wicket when most needed was evidenced once again. The cricketing golden arm now has 50 Test Match wickets to go with his 10,000+ runs and Root is only the third man in the entirety of the history of the sport to achieve such a remarkable feat.
Pakistan had scored 12 runs in the morning session before the fall of Ashraf’s wicket and still need a further 145 runs to win.
5.53am Mid-Session Drinks Break — Pakistan need 109 runs for victory
Saud Shakeel had continued to bat in the same meticulous manner as he did to remain not out overnight and had taken his total from 54 to 71 in a carefree and risk free manner in the first hour of play. Doggedly determined and happy to take singles to simply keep the scoreboard ticking over, Shakeel has faced a total of 174 deliveries so far for his 71 runs and remains the central cog for the hosts historic run chase. Accompanying Shakeel in reducing their target to just 109 runs for victory is Mohammad Nawaz who has been far more progressive and attacking in scoring a relatively quick (in these nervous circumstances) 23 runs from just 26 balls received.
6.14am 50 run Partnership — Pakistan need 95 runs for victory
Shakeel has added a further 4 runs, Nawaz a further 10 and with their team counting down the required runs for victory, their 50 run partnership has inched them to just 95 runs from a famous and seemingly improbably come from behind win.
6.42am MOHAMMAD NAWAZ caught Pope bowled Wood (45).
With Pakistan now only needing 65 runs for victory, Stokes turned back to Mark Wood for some high intensity, short pitch bowling and his great mate from Durham came up trumps once more. I have more than a soft spot for the 32 year old who has been rather plagued by injury throughout a stop/start England career but who is forever wholehearted, intensely competitive and with a roguish smile that highlights the “Woody” character off the field as well as on it. Desperately needing a wicket, he, in the strange vernacular of cricket, “strangled” Nawaz with a short pitched ball down the leg side that the batsman gloved into the relieved wicketkeeping hands of Ollie Pope and England were now firm favourites for victory, now needing 4 more wickets for a famous win.
6.53am SAUD SHAKEEL caught Pope bowled Wood (94).
This was the prized wicket England desperately needed and right on the cusp of the Lunch Break they secured it, but in rather controversial circumstances. It was the exact same mode of dismissal that snagged Nawaz just 11 minutes earlier, and Ollie Pope appeared to catch it cleanly with the naked eye. However, the DRS replays (that showed the catch over and over and over again for a couple of minutes or more) appeared to show the ball if not bouncing but certainly touching the ground for a split second before Pope secured the catch. Shakeel was eventually given out and it was both contentious as well as incredibly hard on the 27 year old from Karachi who’d batted for 213 balls for his brilliantly made as well as possibly game winning, 94.
7.01am LUNCH BREAK — Pakistan need 64 runs for victory
The equation at the Lunch Break was simple: The hosts need a further 64 runs for victory. Their English visitors need 3 wickets.
7.54am ABRAR AHMED caught Duckett bowled Anderson (17).
As stated in yesterday’s wrap-up article posted here, I sincerely hope the 24 year old debutant from Karachi is awarded the game’s “Man of the Match” regardless of whether he’s on the winning or losing team. To take 11 wickets (out of a possible 20) on your Test Match debut is a remarkable feat in itself and then to come out and bat like he did after the Lunch Break today hopefully sealed the deal for the young man. From just 12 balls received he smashed a deliberately quick and counter attacking 17 runs including four boundary 4’s he either smashed, clubbed, caressed, late cut or back cut to the fence. Quickly reducing his team’s required runs for victory to a mere 45 more, he attempted to “charge” James Anderson and instead danced down the wicket before toe ending a simple catch to Ben Duckett at short cover.
This kid has some cricketing future ahead of him and I wish him well.
8.10am ZAHID MAHMOOD bowled Wood (0).
Stokes turned once again to Wood’s aggressive bowling and once again “Woody” came up trumps with a beauty of a delivery that smashed the overmatched Mahmood’s off stump clean out of the ground.
Pakistan need a further 36 runs for victory.
England need one final wicket.
8.27am MOHAMMAD ALI caught Pope bowled Robinson (0).
Whilst Agha Salman tried to “farm” the strike and protect his final partner in a vain attempt to secure the final 36 runs for victory, he and Mohammad Ali came up 26 runs short as Ali could do no more than feather an outside edge through to Ollie Pope and his third catch of the innings ensured joyous scenes all around him as he and his England team had won yet another dramatic, era defining and historic victory in Pakistan.
Afterword
“Don’t go to work” enthused Nasser Hussain. “Take a snow day!” he continued, before perhaps preaching to the converted “This is Test Match cricket!”. Suffice to say I was in total excitable agreement with the ex England captain as this was indeed Test Match cricket and I’m pleased to say it’s in rude health.
For this is Test Match cricket: Giants and legends of the grand old game with golden arms as well as a golden touch with a piece of willow in their hands. A debutant taking a 10+ wicket haul before trying to drag his team over the line of victory, and at the tender age of just 24. Teenagers given free rein to express their skills and sporting ambitions on the grandest stage of all. A visiting team dictating the tempo and style of game in someone else’s cricketing backyard as the home team refuse to bend or buckle as they’re roared on by a noisy partisan crowd who adore the game and its history as much as the New Zealander and the Englishman who are trying to reinvent and reinvigorate this great game for a new as well as existing worldwide audience.
Test Match cricket is alive and well, and this sleep deprived fan of the grand old game couldn’t be more pleased.
Roll on Saturday!
Thanks for reading. Please feel free to delve into the cave of wonders that is my archives and specifically the “Cricket” archives for all 5 days of the previous Test Match in Rawalpindi on this tour. Alternatively, linked below are my daily wrap ups from the first three days of this 2nd Test Match in Multan:
Debutant puts England in a spin on day 1 in Multan
Pakistan v England — Multan Day 1.medium.com
Brook and Duckett lead England into a strong position in the 2nd Test
Pakistan v England — Multan Day 2.medium.com