Pakistan set multiple unwanted records after England series whitewash

This was England´s first Test tour of Pakistan since 2005

December 20, 2022
 England's captain Ben Stokes talks to his Pakistani counterpart Babar Azam after winning the match — Reuters

KARACHI: Pakistan have set multiple unwanted records after being whitewashed in the three-match Test series against England.

This was the first time that Pakistan were whitewashed in a home Test series.

The Babar Azam-led unit also lost three Tests in a home series for the first time in their history.

Additionally, Pakistan also suffered defeats in four home Tests in a row for the first time.

It must be noted that England beat Pakistan by eight wickets in the third and final Test in Karachi Tuesday to sweep the series 3-0.

Resuming on 112-2, England reached the modest 167-run target in just 38 minutes, with Ben Duckett and Ben Stokes finishing unbeaten on 82 and 35 respectively.

England won the first Test in Rawalpindi by 74 runs and the second in Multan by 26 runs.

This was England´s first Test tour of Pakistan since 2005, having refused to tour the South Asian country in the years since because of security concerns.

Duckett cracked his 12th boundary off fast bowler Mohammad Wasim to seal the victory on the fourth day, with England finishing on 170-2.

With nine wins in their last 10 matches, England have vindicated their newly adopted freewheeling approach to Test cricket dubbed "Bazball", after the nickname of coach Brendon McCullum.

McCullum and Stokes took charge of a misfiring side in May that had won just one of their previous 17 Tests, including a 4-0 humiliation in the Ashes in Australia.

England played power-packed cricket right from the start of the Pakistan tour, smashing 506-4 to set a record for the most team runs on the opening day of a Test.

Four batters — Zak Crawley, Ollie Pope, Harry Brook and Duckett — scored hundreds that day, another record.

Stokes was also bold in his captaincy, setting a tantalising 343-run target for Pakistan in Rawalpindi and then setting unusual fields to get wickets.

Pakistan´s problems were compounded by injuries to their fast bowlers, with Shaheen Shah Afridi ruled out before the series with a knee injury.

Haris Rauf and Naseem Shah missed the last two Tests with fitness problems.

But Pakistan suffered major batting collapses, losing their last six wickets for 108 in the first innings in Karachi and seven for 52 in the second.

— Additional input from AFP.

Faizan Lakhani is Deputy Editor (Sports) at Geo News.

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