On Thursday, December 1, the first day of the first Test match, England exploited a completely level ground at Rawalpindi to set records in the form of runs. Against Pakistan’s speed attack, Ben Stokes’ squad dominated, scoring 506 runs at a cost of just 4 wickets. Pakistan’s early overs of the match saw them give up nearly seven runs per over, thus the signals were bad from the start. As the day wore on, England reached their century mark within the first 14 overs of the match, and things did not get much better.
The first wicket reached 233 runs in the 36th over when Zahid Mahmood claimed the first wicket after the two players each achieved hundreds. Losing a wicket doesn’t slow England down, as has been evident since Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum took over the England Test. Similarly, on Thursday afternoon in Rawalpindi, England’s third century of the day was made by number three, Ollie Pope, who put the Pakistani bowlers to the sword. After England amassed a massive 657 all out in 101 overs. In reply to the huge total Pakistan batter also gave everything as they posted a total of 579 runs as three of the batsmen smashed centuries with Babar Azam scoring 136 runs.
The Three Lions reached one of their highest team totals in Test cricket history thanks to the helpful runs that Jacks, Harry Brook, and Ollie Robinson contributed. The wicket is still unresponsive to pace or spin, and Pakistan needs to score a further 277 runs to escape the follow-on, behind England by 476 runs on a grass-less surface. As the second innings started England scored 264 runs with the help of Harry Brook scoring 87 runs. The team appeared to be the favourites to force a victory going into the final sessions, needing 86 runs with five wickets remaining, but a barrage of scalps left them battling for a draw at the finish. After a heroic struggle by Naseem Shah and Muhammad Ali, who survived 53 balls for the tenth wicket, Jack Leach finally made his breakthrough to give England a historic triumph.
In an all-out thriller at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium England overcame all odds to overcome Pakistan by 74 runs, their first Test victory in Pakistan in 22 years. The Three Lions played an unheard-of aggressive style of cricket that ultimately forced a result in the final session of play, taking the game by storm and refusing to be dominated by the flat pitch available.
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