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PAK Vs ENG, 3rd Test: Noman Ali, Sajid Khan Turn The Screws On England To Earn Series-Clinching Nine-Wicket Win In Rawalpindi

Pakistan, which got a meaningful 77-run first innings lšŸŽƒead, reached 37-1 at the stroke of lunch to notch its first home series win since 2021 when it beat South Africa 2-0

| Photo: AP/Anjum Naveed

Spinners Noman Ali and Sajid Khan suppressed Englandā€™s batting attack inside three days and earned Pakistan a long-awaited and series-clinching nine-wicket win in the third and final Test on Saturday. (Match Highlights | More Cricket News)

Left-arm spinner Ali and off-spinner Khan had grabbed all 20 wickets on a recycled second Test pitch to level the series last week and yet again clipped the batters on an engineeź§‚red dry surface by sharing 19 wickets as England wasā™ˆ dismissed for 112 on Day 3.

It was Englandā€™s lowest innings total in Pakistan, eclipsing its pršŸ¦‹evious score of 130 all out in Lahore in 1987.

Pakistan, which got a meaningful 77-run first innings lead, reached 37-1 at the stroke of lunch to notch its first home series win since 2021 when it beat South Africa 2-0. Skipper Shan Masood (23 not out) sealed the win with a six over long-off against Shoaib Bashir after smashing four succešŸ’›ssive boundaries to Jack Leach.

Leach grabbed the only wicket to fall when he successfully went for ašŸŒn lbw television referral against Saim Ayub, who made eight.

The win was a sweeā™Št revenge for the home team, which was knockedą¼’ over by England 3-0 when it last toured Pakistan two years ago under the captaincy of Ben Stokes.

Englandā€™s batting folded meekly against the spin ź¦”duo for the second time around as Ali followed his three wickets inšŸŒ³ the first innings with 6-42 on a wicket which was dried out by industrial-sized giant fans and outdoor heaters.

Khan grabbed 4-69 to add to his first innings six-wicket haul as England baź¦tters couldnā€™t negotiate the variable bounce and the turn Khan and Ali extracted of the pitch.

England won the first Test by an innings and 47 runs before Pakistan succeeded in its ploy to reuse the same surface in Multan to counter Englandā€™s aggrā™šessive batting and recalled both Ali and Khan for the remaining two Test matšŸ¦‚ches.

Resuming on a precarious 24-3, Joe Root (33) and Harry Brook (26) cut down the deficit to 11 runs before England lost wickets in clusterā™Š.

Brook got a thick edge when he tried to cut Ali and the left-arm spinner had Stokes lbw off an armed ball which the England captain awfully tried to leave. England wź¦—as still trailing by two runs when Jamie Smith (3) charged down the wicket to Khan and had his off stump knocked over and England slipped to 6-75.

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Khan then endedšŸŒ¼ Rootā€™s grim resistancšŸ’ƒe by finding the outside edge before Englandā€™s tail folded quickly against the spin duo.

The 2-1 series win was Masoodā€™s first series win sinšŸŒ±ce he was appointed test captain last year. Australia routed Pakistan 3-0 under Masoodā€™s leadership and Bangladesh ršŸ’›ecorded a stunning 2-0 win in Pakistan.

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