3 milestones achieved by Pakistan in the 2024 Test series win vs England
In an impressive display of resilience and determination, Pakistan clinched a historic 2-1 Test series victory against England on home soil. Following a tough defeat in the opening Test, the hosts made a remarkable comeback, winning the last two matches and asserting their dominance.
This series win, anchored primarily by the formidable performances of Noman Ali and Sajid Khan, also ended Pakistan's Test series win drought at home and has given them a much-needed revival and confidence boost.
With a lot happening within their team, this series win not only marks a long-awaited victory over England in the format but also reflects their grit and resurgence in Test cricket, particularly at home.
On that note, let us take a look at three major milestones achieved by Pakistan in their 2024 Test series win against England.
#3 Winning a three-match Test series after losing the first Test only the second time
Pakistan made a memorable comeback after suffering a heavy defeat in the opening Test. Historically, this is only the second time that they won a three-match Test series after having lost the opening game.
The first instance came way back in 1995 against Zimbabwe when they won the series after losing the opening game. Playing away from home, the visitors were trashed by Zimbabwe in the opening game, who won by an innings and 64 runs to take a 1-0 lead.
However, the visitors made a stellar comeback to win the remaining two Tests in and eventually take the series 2-1. They won by eight wickets in the second game to level the series before claiming a 99-run win in the final game to take the series.
Pakistan replicated this performance in the recently concluded series against England. After losing the first Test, they came from behind to register an impressive 152-run win at Multan before winning the final Test by nine wickets at Rawalpindi.
#2 First Test series win against England since 2015
Pakistan's win over England also marks their first Test series triumph against their opponents since 2015. The last time they defeated England in a Test series was nearly a decade ago in UAE, where they won the three-match series 2-0, led by then-captain Misbah-ul-Haq.
The first match at Abu Dhabi ended in a draw while Misbah's men bagged the second Test by 178 runs at Dubai. They built on their momentum in the final game at Sharjah, winning by 127 runs and thus taking the series as well.
In recent times, England had outperformed Pakistan, both at home and away, including a 3-0 whitewash win in 2022. This series win therefore broke a nearly 10-year stretch without a Test series win against England.
#1 First home Test series victory since 2021
This series win also ended a 44-month drought for Pakistan's home Test series wins. The last time they tasted success in a home Test series was with a victory against South Africa back in February 2021 when they triumphed 2-0.
Since then, they had struggled in a string of home series, suffering a 1-0 loss to Australia in 2022, followed by a 3-0 whitewash by England later in the same year. They then drew a two-match series against New Zealand at home in 2023.
Moreover, the side suffered an embarrassing 2-0 defeat against Bangladesh earlier this year at home, marking a challenging stretch in Test cricket at home.