England fall into spin trap as Pakistan level Test series

Noman Ali took eight wickets as Pakistan's leading spinners guided the team to a 152-run win over England in the second Test in Multan on Friday, leveling the three-match series at 1-1.

Chasing 297 for victory on a turning track at the Multan Cricket Stadium, England were all out for 144 in the fourth day's morning session.

Skipper Ben Stokes was the top scorer for England with 37 but their frontline batters struggled against the turning ball.

Left-arm spinner Noman was pick of the Pakistan bowlers claiming 8-46.

Noman and player of the match Sajid Khan, who claimed seven wickets in the first innings, shared all 20 England wickets in a terrific display of spin bowling.

It ended Pakistan's winless run on home soil where they had not won a Test match since February 2021.

"I think the first one's always special, and it's come after some hard times, some rough times," Shan Masood said after his first Test win as Pakistan captain.

"Noman and Sajid coming in for their first games — it's never easy, and they seemed like two seasoned campaigners coming in and doing their job in the second innings.

"We didn't need a third bowler, so that just speaks volumes for them."

Soon after putting an end to a winless home run, congratulations poured in from President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for the team.

In his congratulatory message for the Men in Green, Zardari praised the team's spinners, noting that they "played an important role in winning this match".

"I hope that this series of excellent performances will continue in the future", he said.

Meanwhile, taking to X, Shehbaz lauded the team for ending a winless streak at home.

"We are back," said the prime minister in his post on X.

"Well done, Team Pakistan, for winning the first home Test after a long haul with a historic win against England," he added. "Spectacular performances by Sajid Khan wickets & Noman Ali wickets".

Pakistan were already in the ascendancy when England resumed on 36-2 needing an extraordinary batting effort to get anywhere near the target.

Vice captain Ollie Pope (22) fell in the second over of the day, giving off-spinner Sajid Khan a return catch before left-arm spinner Noman ran amok.

Noman dealt the tourists a body blow when he trapped Joe Root lbw for 18, a decision the batter reviewed but could not get overturned.

Harry Brook (16) fell to Noman in a similar fashion and England slumped to 88-6 when Jamie Smith was sent packing.

Stokes has played some match-defining knocks in his illustrious career and England badly needed a similar innings from him.

The captain, scoring at a run-a-ball rate, came dancing down the track against Noman and swung his bat only for it to fly out of his hands to midwicket.

Pakistan wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan had all the time in the world to collect the ball and whip off the bail with Stokes well out of the crease.

"When you get extreme conditions like that, you've got to find a way to negate that spin, which I think we managed to do in some good parts," Stokes said.

"... we would have liked to have gone on, especially myself and a couple of the guys who got starts, we might even be able to get closer, if not win the game."

The third and final Test begins in Rawalpindi on Thursday.

Playing XI

Pakistan: Saim Ayub, Abdullah Shafique, Shan Masood (captain), Kamran Ghulam, Saud Shakeel (vice-captain), Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Salman Ali Agha, Aamir Jamal, Noman Ali, Sajid Khan and Zahid Mehmood

England: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (captain), Jamie Smith (wk), Brydon Carse, Matt Potts, Jack Leach and Shoaib Bashir