England secure record-filled innings win over Pakistan in first Test

MULTAN, Pakistan (AP) — England notched one of their most memorable test wins as they beat Pakistan by an innings and 47 runs on the fifth and final day of the first cricket test on Friday.

Pakistan were bowled out for 220 inside the first session as Salman Ali Agha (63) and Aamer Jamal (55 not out) delayed the inevitable with their fighting half centuries.

No. 11 Abrar Ahmed, who has been in hospital for the last two days due to a fever, couldn’t bat as Pakistan suffered the embarrassment of becoming the first test-playing country to lose a match by an innings after scoring over 500 runs in the first innings.

Left-arm spinner Jack Leach picked up all the three wickets on the final morning to finish with 4-30 after fast bowlers Gus Atkinson and debutant Brydon Carse had mopped the Pakistan top-order on the fourth evening.

Carse and Atkinson, who is playing his first away test match, took eight wickets in the match while Chris Woakes set the tone of the England win by clean bowling first-innings centurion Abdullah Shafique off the first ball in the second innings.

Resuming on 152-6, Agha and Jamal resisted for an hour and stretched their partnership to 109 before Leach struck in his first over when he had Agha trapped leg before wicket off a straight delivery.

Leach then finished off the tail quickly by grabbing a stunning low return catch of Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah was stumped after hitting the left-arm spinner for a straight six.

England had broken number of test records when they amassed 823-7 declared on the back of Harry Brook’s belligerent triple century and Joe Root’s impeccable 262 in reply to Pakistan’s first innings score of 556.

On Wednesday, Root also became England’s highest test run-scorer. He surpassed Alastair Cook as England’s leading run-scorer and batted with lot of determination in a record 454-run partnership with Brook in intense heat of Multan.

“The fitness Brook, Root and the bowlers showed, credit to them for the skills and determination to put the team in a winning position,” stand-in captain Ollie Pope said.

Pope was out for a duck in England’s mammoth total.

“I smoked a pull shot straight to mid-wicket, but it’s a team game and we’re on the right side of the performance,” Pope said.

Pope, who led the side in the first test in the absence of injured Ben Stokes, praised pace bowler Carse in his debut test and Leach, who made a comeback to test cricket after injury.

“Brydon on debut was awesome, charged with a lot of heart,” Pope said. “The way Jack Leach bowled, coming back into the side, fits right in and taking crucial wickets.

Pakistan's woeful run in test cricket continued with skipper Shan Masood losing his sixth successive test since being elevated as captain last year. It was also Pakistan’s seventh loss at home in 11 test matches with the last win coming against South Africa in February 2021.

“Harsh reality is that England found a way and we didn’t," Masood said. “No matter what the pitch is, quality sides will find a way and for us the learning is to find a way when we play test cricket."

Masood said his team is again demoralized after losing 3-0 to Australia, 2-0 to Bangladesh at home and collapsing in the testing hot weather of Multan against England.

“We’re hurt by the results, we’re hurt as a nation, we’re not getting the results that Pakistan cricket deserves. We have to get this right as a squad.”

The second test begins at Multan from next Tuesday with the final test scheduled for Rawalpindi from Oct. 24.

Final scores: Pakistan 556 & 220; England 823-7 declared.