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England won the Multan Test by an innings and 47 runs thanks to their renowned Bazball style. They added another humiliating loss to Pakistan's suffering at home. With Abrar Ahmed unable to play on Day 5, the hosts failed to overcome England's lead, managing only 220 for 9 in the second innings. The visitors are leading the series 1-0 and this is also Paistan's sixth straight loss in the longest format of the game. The hosts' captain Shan Masood was highly disappointed with this failure.
Shan Masood on loss against England
The Pakistan captain spoke on how disappointing this loss was as they could not take 10 wickets despite posting 550 in the first innings. He highlighted England won the game as their bowlers were able to get those 20 wickets and their team needs to figure out the way to do it as well going forward.
"We've spoken about the third innings or fourth innings, but at the end of the day it's a team game. Everything has its advantages or repercussions as a team. When you put up 550 on the board, it's important to back it up with 10 wickets. 220 runs in the third innings, depending on what kind of lead you have can also be a good score. England found a way to get those 20 wickets. We also have to find a way to do that. That's the challenge a side has to go forward," said Shan Masood in the post-match presentation.
"We're in the middle of the series, we've talked about squad mentality and consistency. No matter how the pitch is, we have to find a way out. England showed that. Sometimes you get conditions in your favour, sometimes you don't. It's a non-negotiable of Test cricket to perform on a consistent basis. We love playing the game. We're obviously hurt by the results, hurt as a nation. I never try and shy away from responsibility. What hurts is that we're not getting the results that Pakistan cricket deserves. We are trying to turn it around," he added.
Day four ended with Pakistan on 152 for 6, with Agha Salman and Aamer Jamal at the crease. In an attempt to spare the hosts' blushes and prevent an innings loss, the pair was faced with an unlikely job on Friday. The beginning was a little dicey as Jamal nearly handed up his wicket to Atkinson as the ball nearly ended up in Carse's hands. Following that, Salman and Jamal attacked the England bowlers, scoring 39 runs, and winning the opening hour of play until drinks.
But just after the interval, Jack Leach would make a run when Salman failed to hold a straight one from the England spinner, striking him in front of the stumps. After hitting a fantastic fifty, Jamal went into attack mode, and Ollie Pope gave him a lifeline by dropping him. However, Leach maintained his excellent form in the morning, dismissing Shaheen Afridi with a brilliant stroke. After that, Leach would get rid of Naseem Shah to seal the victory and give the visitors the series lead.
