October 26, 2024
Former and serving Pakistan cricketers lavished the Green Shirts with praise over their tremendous Test series victory against England on Saturday.
Pakistan bagged a memorable victory by outclassing England in the third Test to claim the three-match series 2-1 against the visitors.
The national side had been on the ascendancy since claiming a handy first-innings lead of 77 on a track where spinners from both sides dominated.
Noman Ali (6-42) and Sajid Khan (4-69) bundled out England for a paltry 112 in their second innings to leave Pakistan needing only 36 to win the series.
Pakistan lost the wicket of Saim Ayub before wrapping up victory on day three of the contest.
Pakistan swiftly chased down the target in just 3.1 overs, with skipper Shan Masood (23*) sealing the win to clinch the three-match series.
During the match, Noman and Sajid claimed 19 of the 20 England wickets while Pakistan did not use their lone seamer Aamir Jamal at all in the match in a stark indication of how spin-friendly the surface was.
Pakistan cricketers who are not part of the game seem to have equally enjoyed the victory as they took to their social media accounts to praise the players' efforts and spirit to drive the team to victory.
Former captain Mohammad Hafeez gave credit of the victory to the new selectors for “turning the tables” against England and “making strong decisions”.
Stressing on importance of domestic cricket events, he said all the top performers of the series were splendid domestic players.
Meanwhile, ex-all-rounder Shahid Afridi praised the team effort, saying: "Pakistan cricket is back in full force".
Star pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi, who has been rested by the board, also congratulated the team. He commended Pakistan selectors head Aaqib Javed, particularly, for the win.
Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Mohsin Naqvi also congratulated the national cricket team for winning the third Test and series against England.
"The national players won by exhibiting their best game. The entire team put up a brilliant performance to win the Test series. Sajid Khan and Noman Ali proved their skills by bowling brilliantly. Saud Shakeel showed excellent batting skills by scoring a century,” he said.
Naqvi said the victory would boost the morale of the players. The players along with the nation were waiting for such a glorious victory, he added.
He also said the new players justified their inclusion in the team with their performances.
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