NEWS
Follow UsAfter 11 winless games at home, Pakistan have finally managed to get a win under their belt. They defeated a formidable England side by 152 runs in Multan and have levelled the three-match series. This is also Pakistan's first win under Shan Masood, under whom his side had lost six continuous Tests.
Following a massive defeat in the first Test and the series defeat against Bangladesh, the Pakistan selectors made some huge calls, which included dropping star batter Babar Azam and their premier pacer Shaheen Afridi. This win certainly vindicates the call. A relieved Masood believes that the tough times have made his side hungry.
"First one is always special, it has come after some hard times. A lot has happened over the last week. 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. You have to applaud the group. They have been hungry. You can't doubt the effort of the guys and their commitment," Masood said at the post-match presentation.
"It'll be special for everyone because it's come after some tough times and it's kept us hungry."
Masood also applauded Noman Ali and Sajid Khan, who picked up all the 20 wickets to fall between them. "Noman and Sajid coming in, it's never easy and they looked like two seasoned campaigners. Second innings, we didn't even need a third bowler and that speaks volumes for them," Masood said.
"It's a collective effort, and what matters in a team sport is chipping those 20-30 runs, putting those efforts in the field. Zahid [Mehmood] didn't bowl much but he was running around, he was there for the team, same with Jamal who scored some vital runs. Noman and Sajid were the front-runners and everyone chipped in."
It is not easy to replace someone of the caliber of Babar, who was axed after a poor run of form. But Kamran Ghulam came into the match, having scored plenty of runs in domestic cricket, to score a fine century in the first innings.
"For Kami [Kamran Ghulam], it's never easy. When you are replacing one of the best batters in the world ... I read some things that were horrid even before he played his first Test match. 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," said Masood, who has scored 151, 11, 3 and 11 in his four innings in the series so far.
Pakistan will now hope to claim the series when the two sides clash in the third Test in Rawalpindi, starting October 24.
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