RAWALPINDI: Sajid Khan starred with six wickets while Noman Ali contributed three to help Pakistan dismiss England for 267 runs on the first day of the third Test at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Thursday.
England struggled to add just 25 runs after the tea break, with Jack Leach managing 16 runs before Sajid took the last two wickets, marking his second five-wicket haul of the series. Rehan Ahmed became Sajid’s fifth victim when he came down the track but was deceived by the spin, while Leach was stumped attempting to hit a short delivery.
In addition to Sajid’s impressive six-wicket haul, Noman Ali took three wickets and Zahid Mahmood chipped in with one.
After tea, England was at 242-8, with Rehan Ahmed (2) and Jack Leach (1) at the crease. Resuming after lunch with a score of 110-5, Ben Stokes (6) and Jamie Smith (5) could not build on their foundation, as Stokes was dismissed by Sajid for just 12 runs, bringing Gus Atkinson to the crease.
Smith and Atkinson then formed a 105-run partnership, temporarily alleviating the pressure on the English side. Atkinson, who missed the second Test, made a commendable return, scoring 39 runs off 71 balls with five boundaries before falling to Noman Ali.
Jamie Smith was the standout performer for England, top-scoring with 89 runs before being stumped off Zahid Mahmood’s bowling.
Captain Ben Stokes opted to bat first on a challenging Rawalpindi pitch, where England began well with a 56-run opening partnership between Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett. However, Pakistan’s spinners quickly made their mark, with Noman Ali claiming the first breakthrough by dismissing Crawley, who scored 29.
Duckett continued to hold the innings together, but both Ollie Pope (3) and Joe Root (5) fell to Sajid Khan. Duckett eventually scored 52 runs off 84 balls, hitting four boundaries and a six before becoming Noman’s second victim. Sajid then bowled Harry Brook (5), leaving England reeling at 98-5.
Stokes and Jamie Smith worked diligently to prevent further losses before lunch.
This third Test is crucial, with the three-match series currently tied at 1-1. Pakistan faced a significant defeat in the first match by an innings and 47 runs, prompting several changes to their lineup, including the omission of star batter Babar Azam and ace pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi.
Domestic player Kamran Ghulam made a notable debut, scoring a century, while spinners Sajid Khan, Noman Ali, and Zahid Mahmood returned to the Test side, collectively taking 20 wickets to secure Pakistan’s first Test victory at home since February 2021.
Pakistan has fielded an unchanged playing XI for this match, while England has included an additional spinner to exploit the conditions.
Pakistan Playing XI: Saim Ayub, Abdullah Shafique, Shan Masood (c), Kamran Ghulam, Saud Shakeel (vc), Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Salman Ali Agha, Aamir Jamal, Noman Ali, Sajid Khan, Zahid Mahmood.
England Playing XI: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (c), Jamie Smith (wk), Gus Atkinson, Rehan Ahmed, Jack Leach, Shoaib Bashir.
