"The Mindset is all the difference between two sides" - Twitter applaud England as they claim the series with a game to spare
England scripted a historic series win over Pakistan following a nervy 26-run triumph on Monday, December 12, in Multan. The visitors claimed six wickets on Day 4 and wrapped up the contest in the second session of the penultimate day of the contest.
The Men in Green were arguably in the driver's seat at the start of the day's play despite losing Imam-ul-Haq's wicket late on Day 3. They were placed at 198-4 in pursuit of the 355-run target. Saud Shakeel played with the utmost composure and had Faheem Ashraf for company.
Joe Root struck early to remove the all-rounder, which brought Mohammad Nawaz in. Pakistan slowly edged closer to the total with a crucial sixth-wicket partnership that yielded 80 runs.
However, a burst from Mark Wood brought England right back into the contest. The speedster's ploy to bowl hard and short paid dividends he claimed two crucial wickets in the space of two overs to end the session 291-7.
Pakistan's hopes hinged on their last recognized batter, Agha Salman, to chase the remaining 64 runs. Spinner Abrar Ahmed, however, claimed the spotlight with his bright little cameo of 17 runs before it was halted by James Anderson.
The rest of the tail did not hold out for much longer as Zahid Mahmood and Mohammad Ali were dismissed for ducks to hand England the series win. Pakistan are yet to win a home Test in 2022, having drawn two and lost three.
England fans were elated with the team's performance on a testing surface. Here are some of the reactions on Twitter:
Congratulations to England.
The Mindset is all the difference between two sides.
@jbanningww1 Looking forward to the 3rd test in Karachi. A 0-3 series win would be amazing. I love the way England are now playing their cricket.
@Ericcoys @englandcricket Very very impressive from us especially considering we don't really have a world class spinner in our ranks. Our fast bowlers were phenomenal.
Well done @englandcricket a fantastic achievement. Both sides have played some terrific cricket showing there is a future for test matches! #ENGvsPAK twitter.com/cricketmirror/…
congrats to England for revolutionising Test cricket with their new method*
*the new method is mainly playing more matches and having more resources than all but two other countries
It’s not just the results, terrific though they are. The way England play Test cricket these days is simply unimaginable. Or it was before McCullum & Stokes. They may just have changed the face of the game forever. Incredible stuff.
Although England have won the #MultanTest as well as the series but their Spin bowling is the point of concern for them,they need a test match spinner, #Leach is not delivering them.
Great performance by English Pacers.
Congrats
@englandcricket
#PakvsEng2022 #PAKvsENG https://t.co/dRnbDRFIVm
England stamp their authority in Pakistan in very bold, brave and smart fashion.
Test cricket ❤️
@englandcricket @TheRealPCB #PAKvsENG #PAKvENG
This England test team must be declared as GOAT in the history of cricket. And Ben Stokes will go down as one of the greatest ever to have played this sport 👏
Stokesy's Captaincy gave new Definition to England Test Cricket; Aggressive, Attacking
#PAKvENG
@CforChatha An exciting and entertaining series, I’d say Test Cricket is the real winner, played in a great spirit too, brilliant to watch Pakistan v England again, it’s been far too long 👍
This England cricket team is easily the most entertaining Test side I have seen. Shades of the Dutch total football approach with the accent on constant attack from all sides, and players switching roles. I hope they don't give it up when it goes wrong (and it will at some stage)
@MichaelVaughan Very well deserved. Kudos to team England. Just like Australia dominated the world cricket earlier. It seems with the style of cricket England is playing across formats, they are set to dominate it. Because every other team is just struggling to even form the right combination.
They took quite a few risks, and the reward is a historic series win! Congratulations @benstokes38 and @englandcricket 👏🏽👏🏽 #PAKvENG https://t.co/GVt9VVqrm2
"Hats off to the lads, they have given their all" - England captain Ben Stokes
It seemed as if England made a huge selection gamble by including only one frontline spinner on a turning track. They were pegged back by a memorable debut by Abrar Ahmed, who eventually finished with 11 wickets in the contest.
The pace trio of Mark Wood, Ollie Robinson, and James Anderson bowled exceedingly well with both the old and the new ball and were aided by some lateral movement off the surface. Moreover, Harry Brook's fighting ton in the second innings helped the visitors post a formidable total to defend.
Praising the players following yet another fantastic performance in the subcontinent, Stokes said in the post-match presentation:
"I think I did not need to bowl here, Jimmy and Robbo did a fantastic job and so did the spinners. Taking a look at the conditions helped us decide what would be a suitable total to defend. Hats off to the lads, they have given their all. Amazing debut for Abrar, he took seven wickets but we were still scoring against him."
The third and final Test of the series is scheduled to take place on December 17 at the National Stadium in Karachi.
Do England have anything left to prove with their revamped approach? Let us know what you think.