“Fantastic win, keep it going” – Babar Azam and Shaheen Afridi react as Pakistan beat England by 152 runs in 2nd Test
Babar Azam and Shaheen Afridi lauded Pakistan for their 152-run victory against England in the second Test held in Multan to level the three-match Test series 1-1. The reaction came after the Men in Green registered their first victory after 11 winless games (seven losses and four draws) at home.
Noman Ali and Sajid Ali shared 20 wickets in the match, picking up 11 and nine, respectively. England were bundled out for 291 and 144 in response to Pakistan’s 366 and 221. Kamran Ghulam and Salman Agha shone with the bat, scoring a century and fifty in the two innings, respectively.
Babar Azam wrote on X:
“Well done, team! Fantastic win. Proud of the effort and spirit.”
Shaheen Afridi credited the four key players behind the victory. The speedster wrote on the micro-blogging platform:
“Fantastic win at home! Congratulations to Pakistan Noman Ali and Sajid Khan were exceptional, along with a dream debut for Kamran Ghulam and a massive contribution from Salman Ali Agha. Keep it going, Inshallah!”
Notably, Babar Azam and Shaheen Afridi were rested for the second and third Tests amid a jampacked calendar.
“He seemed like he belonged” - Shan Masood lauds Kamran Ghulam for delivering in Babar Azam’s absence
Pakistan skipper Shan Masood has lauded Kamran Ghulam and Salman Agha for their century and fifty in the two innings, respectively. Masood reserved special praise for Ghulam for scoring his ton in Babar Azam’s absence. On this, he said (via Cricbuzz):
“For Kami (Kamran Ghulam), it's never easy. When you are replacing one of the best batters in the world. I can't even imagine the pressure that someone can be under. But we were all behind him. From the get-go, he seemed like he belonged. To get that century, that's special.”
“Agha is probably one of my favorite players, he's a team player. For him to play in those pressure situations and get something for the team, that's special,” he added.
Masood also lauded Noman and Sajid for their excellent bowling display:
“Noman and Sajid were the front-runners and everyone chipped in. For everyone to work together, to come up with a strategy to pick 20 wickets and make it happen, that's the most satisfying thing.”
The third and final Test between the two teams will be played in Rawalpindi from Thursday, October 24.