Ben Stokes’s England made their historic tour of Pakistan a tad more memorable by taking an unassailable 2-0 lead in the 3-match series. On Monday, the visitors defeated Babar Azam & Co by 26 runs in Multan, registering their first Test series win in 22 years.
The hosts needed to chase 355 runs to level the series but a rampant Mark Wood ran through the Pakistan batting order. He returned figures of 4 for 64 in the second innings as England bowled Pakistan out for 328 within an hour after lunch on Day 4.
INDW vs AUSW, 2nd T20I: Here’s How Harmanpreet & Co Stun Australia in Super Over – Watch Full Action
But what caught the attention of one and all was a bizarre scene between Pakistan tailender Mohammad Ali and Ben Stokes. Pakistan were at 319/9 when Ali nicked a delivery from Ollie Robinson to Ollie Pope. Despite the edged, the tail-ender asked for the DRS.
Meanwhile, the England captain walked closer to Ali to shake hands after the conclusion of the game. However, the Pakistani cricketer denied it, probably reminding him that the decision was yet to be displayed on the big screen. And once it was signalled out, the customary handshakes ensued.
pic.twitter.com/YM3VhzZAsG— Guess Karo (@KuchNahiUkhada) December 12, 2022
Resuming on 198-4 with still 157 required, Pakistan lost Faheem Ashraf (10) in the day’s sixth over when Joe Root had the lefthander caught at slip as Stokes chose to deploy spinners from one end. Shakeel and Nawaz stifled England for nearly 22 overs before Wood struck twice in quick succession to raise England’s hope of clinching the three-match series late in the first session.
FIFA World Cup 2022 Points Table | FIFA World Cup 2022 Schedule | FIFA World Cup 2022 Results | FIFA World Cup 2022 Golden Boot
Fast bowler Ollie Robinson thrice went past Nawaz’s bat, but the lefthander showed aggression against Root and left-arm spinner Jack Leach with some crisp boundaries before Stokes turned to the pace of Wood and gained two crucial wickets.
Ahmed made a brisk 17 that featured three extravagant boundaries against Wood in one over after lunch before England seamers Robinson (2-23) and James Anderson (2-44) wrapped up the tail to seal England’s win.
Get the latest Cricket News, Schedule and Cricket Live Scores here