Nasser Hussain and Michael Atherton laud Ben Stokes' captaincy following England's historic Test series victory in Pakistan
Former England captains Nasser Hussain and Michael Atherton have hailed Ben Stokes and Co. for scripting a historic Test series win in Pakistan. Hussain and Atherton reflected on how both wins have been so hard-fought, given the slow and flat pitches.
After a 74-run victory in the first Test in Rawalpindi, England wrapped up the win by 21 runs on Day 4 of the second Test in Multan. Chasing a stiff 355, Pakistan ended Day 3 with their noses slightly in front and looked set to level the series. However, Mark Wood taking the wickets of Mohammad Nawaz and Saud Shakeel tilted the scales in their favor.
HISTORY MADE!! 🏴
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Speaking to Sky Sports, Hussain observed that the close margins in both victories indicate how hard England have had to fight for it. However, the cricketer-turned-commentator reckons Brendon McCullum will remind the side about their reckless batting performance on the third morning and ensure it doesn't get repeated. He said:
"Two very docile pitches, two very different pitches and this one spun. They've had to work so, so hard to pull off those victories. You spare a thought for Pakistan, they were 10 minutes away from getting a draw in the last game and they were 20-odd runs away here, and that shows the effort England had to put in.
"They didn't just walk over Pakistan, they had to put in a real effort. They will learn from this. McCullum is no fool, he will sit there and he will think about that 73-5."
Hussain continued:
"Stokes will not say it on the interview, because he wants clear messaging like Morgan's men and that white-ball revolution. But McCullum will say to his team, 'Well done, you got over the line but just think about that 73-5.' He will hope that next time they think about that, and they can't just keep going this close, because a better side may just knock them and say, 'Don't take the mick out of the game.'"
Although the visitors started Day 3 at 202-5 with a lead of 281, they lost their last five wickets for just 19 runs to finish at 275. Nevertheless, a lead of 354 proved to be just enough in the end.
"He's transformed England's Test match team" - Michael Atherton
Atherton observed that Stokes has triggered a massive turnaround for England's Test side and believes that scoring quickly to give the bowlers enough time to make inroads has been a masterstroke. Atherton stated:
"He's transformed England's Test match team. He has transformed and galvanized an outfit with few changes, and that is the measure of leadership. One was to score quickly and therefore give yourselves plenty of time to take those wickets. England have only ever won two games here but they've only lost a couple as well, there's been a hellish number of draws.
"It's a very difficult place to force a win because the pitches are so flat and so slow - that's why one strategy was to score quickly and they took that to the nth degree in Rawalpindi, scoring between six and seven runs an over. But even here in Multan, that rate was five an over or a bit more."
Into the history books ✍️
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The two sides will move to Karachi for the third and final Test, which starts on December 17. Pakistan will look to pocket a consolation win against the visitors.