England Historic Victory: Pakistan Thumped Despite Notching 500 in Multan Test

Pakistan were left shocked by what had unfolded in the first Test of the 2024 series as England tore them apart with a historic win by an innings and 47 runs in Multan. Having notched a commendable first-innings total of 514, England reply was nothing but a record-breaking performance by notching a colossal 823/7. This was a historic win for cricket since that was the first team to lose by innings and over half a thousand runs in their first innings in 147 years of Test cricket.

Pakistan’s First Innings: Great Start

Pakistan began quite impressively in the Test and then went on to total 514. The only talking of their innings was that of the middle-order batsman, Agha Salman, who batted out a composed hundred (122). Half-century batting by the captain of the side, Babar Azam, and batting up-front by Abdullah Shafique contributed to the total. It was a fairly confident look at the unit, but the score it put in up first innings was enough to put even more pressure on England.

But soon enough cracks would start appearing in Pakistan’s bowling attack and England’s batsmen too good to be allowed passage. Pakistan’s fielders looked too ineffectual to stop this onslaught.

England Fight Back: Brook and Root Take Control

England took to the game in dazzling style as Harry Brook and Joe Root played the innings of their lives. Brook literally went tall to his career best knock of 317, while Root’s match-winning and commanding knock of 262 provided the perfect support. Their batting, which ran for nearly 12 hours, pegged back Pakistani aspirations of making something out of their first innings advantage. England’s 823/7 versus Pakistan is their highest against Pakistan and one of the top tallies in the history of Test cricket.

Brook and Root were a parading of states of patience, aggression, and tactical mastery fully extolled; they calculated the use of conditions, rotated strike, and punished bad deliveries. The Pakistani bowlers never found any rhythm; as England’s innings protracted so did their lead to reach an unassailable 309 runs.

Pakistan’s Second-Innings Collapse

As things were Pakistan was under extreme pressure while entering their second innings with a deficit of 309 runs. Unfortunate for them they could not repeat the good show they put in the first innings. The team baulked under pressure to produce a pitiful score of just 220 runs thereby sealing the fate for them and handing over a massive win by an innings and 47 runs to England.

The Pakistani batting line-up was left tattered to the winds as was the case with the bowling of England, especially Jack Leach and Mark Wood. That Leach could bowl controlled spin and Wood had raw pace made the Pakistani batsmen run for cover. However, the Pakistan captain Babar Azam came as a lone warrior but couldn’t save it from going on to its eventual collapse.

Historic defeat for Pakistan

This loss went down as one of Pakistan’s most shocking losses in history. The reason was that they had scored over 500 runs in their first innings, but Pakistan collapsed, losing by an innings – for the first time this has ever happened in Test cricket’s history of 147 years. It resulted in Pakistan losing a sixth straight Test match and thus, for their strategy, their mental toughness, and their capability to keep up under fierce pressure situations, questions have earnestly been raised.

It was understood that Pakistan just could not carry on any kind of momentum they might have gained from their first innings and then failed to cope up with the onslaught of England’s batting along with the discipline found in the bowling told a lot about how weak both these units were in terms of bowling and batting.

England’s Tactical Brilliance and What’s Next

On the other hand, the display by England was exemplary. It was a Test cricket model whereby, despite losing a significant first innings and then getting dominated, they were able to make a huge comeback in the match, thereby displaying their depth and wise tactics. Brook scored triple centuries, while Root played a classy innings, showing the batting strength of England. The all-round exhibition by the bowling unit had sealed the deal.

Surely, the all-win victory by England certainly sets the tone for this series and sends a stern message to the opponent. England would love to continue that momentum in the next game since their confidence has certainly shot to the skies after such an emphatic win.

This is, however, an eye opener for Pakistan. They need both their mental approach and technical flaws particularly in respect of the collapses in the second innings. Pakistan must get back and quickly regroup for the second test if they are to avoid a series whitewash.

Conclusion

It shall be etched in the annals of history as a match that was not only witnessed for consolidating England’s domination of the longer format of the game but also one that exposed Pakistan’s vulnerability. Even as England went ahead to consolidate their place on the pedestal of Test cricket, such a shocking defeat at the hands of Pakistan, which went about to bask in the glory of a total crossing 500+, will haunt Pakistan’s fans and players for long.

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