Bazballers prove they can win matches no other England side in history could
Rawalpindi, Hyderabad and now Multan. The Bazballers are capable of famous victories away from home like no other England side before them.
Yes, they are flawed, and at times it goes horribly wrong, but their verve and exceptional artistry produces take-the-breath-away performances like this. In fact, there is a danger we take them for granted.
This, the 20th win of the Bazball era from 30 games, was a staggering turnaround. Pakistan were beaten by an innings and 47 runs after racking up 556 in the first four sessions of the game, thinking they were safe on the sleepiest of pitches and an England team only just arrived from the British autumn broiled by temperatures threatening 40C.
But they were once again swept up by a whirlwind of England’s blazing bats and dumped back on the ground subdued and disorientated by a gargantuan total of 823 for seven made at nearly 5.5 runs an over. It was no surprise they succumbed, down and out an hour before lunch on day five for 220 in 55 overs, to become the first team in Test history to lose by an innings after scoring 500.
The scorecard from this game will fascinate cricket historians of the future, the ground’s scorer proudly posed for photographs with his book. The two Yorkshiremen, Joe Root and Harry Brook, surpassing the record stand of Peter May and Colin Cowdrey that stretched back to 1957 was a pinch-yourself moment alone, but there was more: Brook’s 317, the fifth-biggest total for an Englishman of all time.
3️⃣0️⃣0️⃣ FOR HARRY BROOK 🌟
He becomes only the sixth England player to ever score a triple century 🏴 pic.twitter.com/UapgyF8kc1— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) October 10, 2024
Root clocked up 1,000 runs for the third year in four and with five Tests to go in 2024 has plenty of time to take chunks out of his deficit to Sachin Tendulkar. Brook’s triple century, England’s first for 34 years, said more about the future; it was the kind of statement innings great players make in their youth.
Their record-breaking deeds deserved to be crowned with a win and it was delivered by one of the side’s less celebrated figures on his return to the team, Jack Leach, when Naseem Shah was stumped. With No 11 Abrar Ahmed in hospital with dengue fever that was it, 1-0 to England after losing the toss and armed with two seamers playing their first Test overseas and another his first in Asia for eight years at the age of 35.
"Leach's reach!"
What a catch 🤩 pic.twitter.com/Noho0HpVQr— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) October 11, 2024
"It's all over!"
England win the first Test against Pakistan by an innings and 47 runs 🏴👏 pic.twitter.com/MgXIIwY5mK— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) October 11, 2024
It was not the greatest pitch for Test cricket because it did not break up and offer a fair battle between bat and ball, but it was ever thus in Pakistan, and teams have to rip up convention, think imaginatively to seek new routes to the summit. That is exactly what England have done and Test cricket is better for it.
This result will leave deep scars on a Pakistan team who have been falling apart all year. There is no respite either, they return to the scene of this beating on Tuesday for the second Test and coach Jason Gillespie has a big job to pick them up. They are now winless at home since 2021 and captain Shan Masood has lost all six games in charge.
After 61 years of winning just two matches in Pakistan, England now have four in a row, and Ollie Pope can toast the best victory of his locum captaincy. They also immediately put behind them the poor performance against Sri Lanka at the Oval, the wake-up call this side occasionally need.
Often they are their own worst enemies. Perhaps it is complacency, more likely just the trade-off when you take the bold choice in everything. Sometimes, it just does not work.
It did this time. Pakistan were worn down by Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett’s counter-attack and by Root and Brook’s hunger for runs on day three. The fight was gone from them on day four when England added 331 at 6.75 an over to post a gargantuan total. The pace of their batting left plenty of time to bowl out their opponents, which they did with ruthless efficiency on a bland pitch, taking all 19 wickets available in the match.
Best of Brook's majestic triple ton! 3️⃣0️⃣0️⃣ pic.twitter.com/PYf0lJRBeB
— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) October 10, 2024
Leach’s four for 30, and seven wickets in his first Test since January, restored his position as senior spinner. Shoaib Bashir was disappointing, and remains a work in progress. Leach grabbed his chance and, despite little turn on this surface, finished the job off for England, bowling consistently and luring the batsmen into mistakes.
Brydon Carse was the pick of the seamers on an exciting debut, bowling with aggression and pace to prove he can be an Ashes dangerman. He struck Aamer Jamal on the head, wrist and ribcage, and deserved better than his two for 66, with two catches dropped off his bowling.
At 152 for six overnight, Pakistan were cooked. Their seventh-wicket pair of Salman Ali Agha and Jamal held out for another hour before Leach struck with his fourth delivery of the day, his arm ball doing the trick. Two more in four balls finished it off – Shaheen Shah Afridi hit one back at Leach, who took a fine diving catch off his own bowling to his left, and Naseem charged and missed.
"That's the one!"
Jack Leach strikes IMMEDIATELY! 💥 pic.twitter.com/zvmfWQxGA3— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) October 11, 2024
The Bazball roadshow began spectacularly two years ago in Rawalpindi when they hammered 500 in a day and won with minutes to spare on day five. At home, they became run-chase kings in 2022 against New Zealand and India. Nine months ago England stunned India in Hyderabad, winning by 28 runs when 190 behind on first innings.
Ranking their victories is already a great pub conversation. Even Pope struggled. When asked if this was their best, he said it was “definitely top three”. He then named four different wins.
08:34 AM BST
A pontiff in sandals
Ollie Pope on what his biggest challenge as captain was in England's first Test against Pakistan 💬 pic.twitter.com/2xXB17XmrZ
— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) October 11, 2024
08:24 AM BST
One final record
The first team in Test history to concede over 500 in the first innings, and end up winning by an innings...
🇵🇰 #PAKvENG 🏴 | #EnglandCricket pic.twitter.com/N2Ey1dCYVL— England Cricket (@englandcricket) October 11, 2024
08:14 AM BST
Ollie Pope on the partnership
We’ve got two greedy Yorkshiremen! Massive credit to them for putting us in the position to win the game. Earlier in my career, I would have been ‘Why can’t that be me?’ But with experience you can enjoy [your team-mates’ success when you miss out].
08:11 AM BST
Ollie Pope speaks to Ramiz
The fitness the bowlers showed, and Brook and Root, credit to them for the skills and determination to put the team in a winning position. When you come out to bat again and you’re 260 runs behind and the pitch is three days older, it’s never easy. We got the odd ball to reverse and spin. Even if they’d made 400 we’ve have backed ourselves for a small chase. Brydon on debut was awesome, charged in with a lot of heart, and the way Jack Leach bowled, coming back into the side, he has had success here before and he fit right back in and has taken crucial wickets. I smoked a pull straight to midwicket but it’s a team game, and we’re on the right side of the result.
08:08 AM BST
Shan Masood speaks to Ramiz Raja
We’ve spoken about the third innings, but it’s a team game, when you put 550 on the board it’s important to back it up with 10 wickets, and that’s what we didn’t do. That’s the key, how can the batting and bowling in first innings contribute to a lead. The onus is to set the game up well and finish it off.”England have found ways to pick up 20 wickets. We must learn from them. It’s about days three, four and five going forward and how we set the match up. Whatever the pitch is like, we must find a way out and England have shown us the way. the best teams always find a a way. There are certain non-negotiables in Test cricket, taking wickets and scoring runs, and we must find them as well. We are hurt by the result, the nation is hurt but it’s a quick turnaround and the beauty of the game is that there is always another chance. We’re not getting the results Pakistan cricket deserves and we have to get this right as a squad.
08:04 AM BST
Harry Brook speaks at the ceremony
Obviously I enjoyed it a lot, tough with the heat, good to be out there with Rooty. We were just batting for as long as possible, set the plan out at lunch.[What advice would you give to young players about making 300?] Enjoy batting, build a partnership, rotate the strike, take fluid on board. It was tough, but a good surface to cash in on. Hopefully there are many more to come.
08:02 AM BST
All shall have prizes
Harry Brook wins four for master blaster and a couple of other spurious ones plus the main one. Root was given ‘outstanding performance award’ and Leach ‘bowler of the match’.
08:00 AM BST
Brydon Carse speaks to Sky Sports
Awesome. The last five days have been a great experience. To top it off with a win, the guys up there are buzzing. It feels very rewarding now, all that effort. Credit to the guys and the coaching staff it has felt as relaxed as it could be. I have thoroughly enjoyed it.
The heat has been the biggest challenge. Playing in England in September is very different to being here. There’s ice baths, hydration and gels. It can be hard to keep food down in this heat but we have all the resources. Yes, these would be the most challenging conditions. I’ve ever played in. A lot of short-pitched bowling! Over the five days that has been my main plan. We were fortunate yesterday that we gt the ball to reverse for an hour and a half but that was all we got the entire game. That was the key period for us and we made some inroads. We thought there would be more reverse [today but there wasn’t].
After the third day we came with a plan to bat as long as we could. Baz said he thought 550 was under par.
Stokesey and Baz said tome that these would be the toughest conditions but the coaching staff have given me confidence.
07:45 AM BST
Presentations to follow
No doubt Brook will win the match award but spare a thought for England’s bowlers on that unforgiving pitch, particularly Carse’s two for 74 and two for 66 on debut which would have been even better but for the butterfingers, and Leach’s three for 160 and four for 30.
07:40 AM BST
England win by an innings and 47 runs
A remarkable victory having conceded 550. Leach chips in with four wickets, seven in the match, Carse bowled beautifully this morning and Brook and Root’s magnificent, record-breaking contributions solo and in tandem overshadow significant knocks from Crawley and Duckett, too.
07:37 AM BST
Wicket!
Naseem st Smith b Leach 6 Naseem knows only one way, dances down to Leach and dumps a lofted drive back over the bowler’s head for six. With Abrar still in hospital, he’s the last man and he tries the same to the next ball, charges the spinner who darts it in and Smith knocks down the timbers with Shah stranded by 3ft. FOW 220/9 (all out)
"It's all over!"
England win the first Test against Pakistan by an innings and 47 runs 🏴👏 pic.twitter.com/MgXIIwY5mK— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) October 11, 2024
England have not been quite on it this morning, but Jack Leach has bowled well since coming on. You’d have to say he’s comprehensively outbowled Shoaib Bashir across the Test, although that’s not a surprise when you consider his extra experience and the way the two were bowling by the end of the English summer.
07:34 AM BST
Wicket!
Shaheeen c&b Leach 10 What a brilliant catch by Leach, diving to his left in his followthrough to grab a speared drive down the ground. That’s three wickets in both innings now for the comeback kid. FOW 214/8
"Leach's reach!"
What a catch 🤩 pic.twitter.com/Noho0HpVQr— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) October 11, 2024
07:33 AM BST
OVER 54: PAK 214/7 (Jamal 55 Afridi 10)
Carse keeps gamely running in, flogging himself on this unforgiving strip. Shaheen tucks a single off his hip while up on his toes, Jamal pulls the no-ball for a single and then almost runs himself out sprinting a very tight leg bye to Pope at square leg but the captain’s throw whistles past the one stump in view. Jamal ends the over celebrating his fortune by slapping a cut for a single then needs the physio again when Carse bangs it in and hits him under the heart, right on the top two ribs. Yikes he has been in the wars today: hit on the head, top hand and now the ribcage.
Spicy three over spell from Carse ended with hitting Jamal on the wrist having earlier clocked him on the helmet. Carse looks cooked but this has been a fine debut, with lots of potential for the future. He has been the most aggressive bowler on this pitch, and had two catches dropped in this innings.
07:25 AM BST
OVER 53: PAK 208/7 (Jamal 52 Afridi 9)
Sarfaraz Ahmed, the former captain, is 12th man and rushes on with a new thighpad for Jamal and a word for Shaheen, which I think we can assume is the Kenneth Williams-style ‘‘’Ere, stop messin’ about!’ Leach delivers a maiden, England’s fifth in 53 overs compared with Pakistan’s one in 150 on Wednesday and Thursday.
Pope has been credited - if that’s the right word - with a drop yesterday, but that’s very harsh because he saved a boundary at backward point, rather than it ever being a realistic chance. But that one, just now, was a shocker, that should have been taken. Carse has been unlucky, as the Bashir sitter was off his bowling last night too.
07:20 AM BST
OVER 52: PAK 208/7 (Jamal 52 Afridi 9)
England drop their fifth catch of the innings, Pope running backwards from square leg, circling and messing up his position as it came over his shoulder. He got his hands to it, without establishing a platform, but it burst through the palms. A life for Jamal. Shaheen had earlier had a slog over the onside for three and another flap at Carse high over midwicket for a single. Shan Masood is not impressed with this approach. Too late, Skip.
07:16 AM BST
OVER 51: PAK 202/7 (Jamal 50 Afridi 5)
Fifty for Aamer Jamal, his second in four Tests, pushing Leach through mid-on for a single. Shaheen tries a different tack and scrapes a slog sweep off the bottom edge through midwicket for a single.
07:10 AM BST
OVER 50: PAK 200/7 (Jamal 49 Afridi 4)
Carse continues with the barrage, running in hard. Jamal takes on the first bumper and pulls it confidently for four. He swishes at the next one too but misses on the pull as he steps away and Carse tries to follow him. When the bowler comes round the wicket, Jamal flicks a single off his waistband through mid-on, giving Shaheen one to face. Pope brings up a leg slip and short leg for the left-hander but Carse, his face glistening with sweat, pitches it up and Shaheen steps tp leg and hammers it through mid-off for four with a bit of a swipe.
07:04 AM BST
OVER 49: PAK 191/7 (Jamal 44 Afridi 0)
It is Jack Leach. Slip, two catching covers and a square shortish point. The left-armer comes round the wicket to the right-hander and his third ball slips out of his hand and Salman slaps it through wide mid on for two. But just like yesterday when his first ball was hit for four, he takes a wicket with the next one, sliding it on to the well-set all-rounder past the inside edge and into his knee.
07:01 AM BST
Wicket!
Salman lbw b Leach 63 Yes, hitting leg stump two-thirds of the way up. Excellent bowling change and our old friend and catalyst, drinks break, weaves the old black magic again. FOW 191/7
"That's the one!"
Jack Leach strikes IMMEDIATELY! 💥 pic.twitter.com/zvmfWQxGA3— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) October 11, 2024
07:01 AM BST
PAK review
Salman lbw b Leach Skidded on from round the wicket without turning. Hit him on the knee. High?
06:54 AM BST
OVER 48: PAK 189/6 (Salman 61 Jamal 44)
Woakes’ short ball is a spaniel compared with Carse’s Doberman. Jamal waits for the one that sits up and pulls it high and hard, not bothering to roll his wrists, over midwicket for four. “Time for spin,” says Nasser Hussain. Leach has better claims for first dibs than Bashir but let’s see who gets the nod.
Drinks.
06:50 AM BST
OVER 47: PAK 185/6 (Salman 61 Jamal 40)
Carse is round the wicket now and starts a chin symphony with Crawley back at fly slip. Salman pulls the first for a single but Jamal is hit on the glove in front of his nose and the ball loops over Smith and they run a single. Good pace – 88mph – and Salman wisely ducks the third successive short one of the over. Carse is bending his back for the captain but Salman takes five balls, far more confidently than his partner.
06:47 AM BST
OVER 46: PAK 183/6 (Salman 60 Jamal 39)
Woakes changes ends to replace Atkinson and Salman lets the ball come on to him and deflects it with an angled bat through point for a single. If Stokes can bowl and is picked for Tuesday’s second Test, one would expect it would be Woakes he would replace to give England’s oldest player a rest. All the batsmen apart from Pope have contributed and as well as the captaincy for four Tests protecting his place, so should his big hundred at the Oval and another at Trent Bridge even if the feast or famine nature of his scores can be frustrating.
Jamal brings up the hundred partnership by pulling Woakes hard between midwicket and square leg for four.
06:40 AM BST
OVER 45: PAK 178/6 (Salman 59 Jamal 35)
Carse strikes Jamal a horrible blow just above the left ear on the helmet, the ball rearing up from back of a length and nibbling into the batsman off the pitch. On comes the physio. I think he’s OK if understandably rattled and his helmet trashed.
With a new lid on, Jamal gets right in line to defend Carse’s fuller ball then ducks the next and lets it fly over his shoulder. The lad’s a fighter. I’ve never seen his make of bat before. The logo seems to be three leaves. Any road he uses it to steer two off an open face down through third man.
Salman is a slightly bizarre form of kryptonite for England. He’s a modest-looking No7 who you wouldn’t want batting any higher and who few talk much about, but he’s doughty and skillful and they can’t get him out. There’s that sense that if they pick one wicket up things could happen quickly, especially as they only need three, but the pitch still isn’t misbehaving, so there could be some hard graft yet.
06:32 AM BST
OVER 44: PAK 174/6 (Salman 59 Jamal 31)
Leg slip on for a barrage and Salman rides Atkinson’s bounce to tickle two wide of Smith down the legside. The replay shows that it was off the glove. Salman uses the blade to tuck another short ball off his body for a single and Jamal waits for the fuller one to flick through square leg for another.
06:30 AM BST
OVER 43: PAK 170/6 (Salman 56 Jamal 30)
As well as the pitches, Aamer Sohail suggests changing from a Kookaburra ball for home Tests. It makes sense to me. Batsmen already have the advantages of the stagnant soil. Give bowlers a ball with a more pronounced seam. Carse replaces Woakes and Salman nudges one off his midriff round the corner for a single. Carse peppers back of a length and gets one to smack into Jamal’s handle as he jerked defensively/protectively into it. No short leg to pounce on it, though.
06:24 AM BST
OVER 42: PAK 169/6 (Salman 55 Jamal 30)
Salman brings up his fifty to go with that first-innings century by flicking Atkinson off his hip fine for four. Nick informs us that this morning session will be two and a half hours if necessary because of Friday prayers, so lunch will be at 8.30am in what we laughably call BST. The right-hander leaves one that spits up outside off then leans into a wider and fuller one and steers it wide of gully for three.
06:20 AM BST
OVER 41: PAK 162/6 (Salman 48 Jamal 30)
Salman takes on Woakes’ short ball, is cramped for room and splices it just over the two catching midwickets. Had they been in more orthodox positions it might have been in front of them.
06:18 AM BST
OVER 40: PAK 161/6 (Salman 47 Jamal 30)
Salman chops a late cut off the splice down through the gap between keeper and Root at fourth slip/gully for four. Salman defends a couple as Atkinson drums on that heavy length, looking for a crack, and then pulls a single past the square leg umpire. Nice partnership, this. Something to build on. Salman averages more than 50 at No7 in 15 Tests with three hundreds. Like Kamindu Mendis last summer, he looks as if he’s batting at least two places too low.
Abrar Ahmed remains in hospital with a virus so England need to take three wickets this morning to win the first Test after conceding 556 in the first innings. It will be another remarkable Bazball victory.
06:10 AM BST
OVER 39: PAK 156/6 (Salman 42 Jamal 30)
Woakes has two midwickets, a fourth slip, short extra, short mid-on and mid-off parallel with the popping crease at the non-striker’s end. More salt than pepper in Woakes’ hair these days. Jamal starts by flicking his right wrist to work two through the legside and then gets his nose over a couple of defensives. The Pakistan all-rounder has demonstrated his guts with bat, ball and in the field in this match. He’s definitely one to keep.
06:05 AM BST
OVER 38: PAK 154/6 (Salman 42 Jamal 28)
Gus Atkinson starts day five for England with a 37-over old ball in his hand. Jerusalem rings around the ground from about 50 travelling fans, not one of them, as we used to do at school long ago, shouting ‘No!’ at the end of each couplet, just for giggles.
Salman, who has put on 70 with Jamal, tucks a single off his hip and Jamal clips another single uppishly through midwicket. There are two fielders there for the catch. Carse dives but can’t get near it.
05:34 AM BST
Preview
Good morning and welcome to live coverage of day five of the first Test at Multan which Pakistan begin 115 runs behind with three, possibly four if Abrar Ahmed has recovered enough from the virus that dispatched him to hospital yesterday to bat because, in the immortal words of Cook/Moore/Bennett/Miller, “we need a futile gesture at this stage, Perkins”. It could only postpone the inevitable following England’s orgy of record-breaking on days three and four have left Pakistan flatter even than this pitch until Messrs Woakes, Carse and Atkinson managed to shock it back into life by hitting a hard length with the seam and getting the odd crack to respond.
For England fans this is reward for all those long dawns of watching opponents pile up runs on the subcontinent on seemingly docile pitches only for England, in their second innings, to crumble with scrambled minds and shredded bodies, exhausted by the heat and footsore misery of four or fives sessions in the field when hope was not so much abandoned as obliterated. For Rob Key, Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes, this is vindication for all the criticism about the lack of warm-up matches on tour and Jimmy Anderson being given dispensation to play at the Dunhill Links and, gadzooks! arrive on day two. Once again this England team have a knack of making all the jibes and rushes to judgment – count how many times some commenters called for Harry Brook to be dropped last summer – seem much ado about nothing.
Poor old Pakistan are in a terrible state for all their talent and precociousness. They need a medium-term plan regarding selection and the preparation of pitches to make the most of their pace bowling resources, a batting coach who can help Babar Azam out of his 22-month red-ball slump and a supremo who can stand up to the factions and give them a vision to wipe away the pessimism that hobbles them from the start. They can bat – they made three centuries in the first innings – and bowl – Naseem Shah and Shaheen Shah Afridi are naturals – but they are inhibited by pressure and fear. In short, they need their own Baz.