"I told Joe Root that I have played with your brother and you are my dream wicket" - Sajid Khan on his game-changing spell in ENG-PAK 2nd Test 2024
Pakistan off-spinner Sajid Khan recalled mentioning to Joe Root about the ace England batter being his dream wicket during their battle on Day 2 (October 16) of the second Test at Multan. The 31-year-old last played for Pakistan in the final Test of the dreaded Australian tour earlier this year and picked up three wickets in that outing.
However, Sajid missed the next three Tests - two against Bangladesh and the first England Test before being picked for the ongoing second Test. He endured a forgettable start, conceding 38 off his first seven overs.
The offie finally had some relief when he cleaned up Ollie Pope off the third ball of his eighth over. Yet, Sajid's struggles continued with figures of 1/70 in 13 overs before the turning point arrived in the final session on Day 2.
He castled the in-form Root for 34 to bring Pakistan back into the contest and make his mark on the game.
Recalling the dismissal at the end of the second day, Sajid was quoted by Cricbuzz as saying:
"I told Joe Root that I have played with your brother and you are my dream wicket. He started to smile. You have to stick to the process regardless of the circumstances. I was hit for runs before that over, but I remained affixed to the process and it paid."
Joe Root's brother Billy plays for Glamorgan in English county cricket and Sajid played for Somerset in 2022.
"Brook, like Mohammad Yousuf, plays the spinners on the backfoot" - Sajid Khan
Sajid Khan followed up on his massive scalp of Joe Root with the equally important wicket of Harry Brook. The pair had put on a massive 454 for the fourth wicket in the first Test, with Root finishing on 262 and Brook on 317.
However, Brook had no answer to an off-spinner from Sajid that turned sharply to clean him up.
The Pakistan spinner spoke about how watching Brook's tendencies in the first Test helped him come up with the ideal plan to knock him over.
"I was watching the last match in Peshawar. Brook, like Mohammad Yousuf, plays the spinners on the backfoot as it gives him enough time to work them. There was a patch outside the off stump and I spoke to Rizzy bhai [Mohammad Rizwan] that if he plays me on the backfoot, I can get him out. He told me to stick to the plan as we needed to get him out today and not to be bothered if he hits some boundaries against me. Thankfully, the plan worked out," said Sajid.
Sajid also picked up the centurion Ben Duckett between the Root and Brook wickets to finish the day with outstanding figures of 4/86 in 19 overs.
After scoring 366 in their first innings, Pakistan have England on the ropes at 239/6 at stumps on Day 2.