England defeated Pakistan by 74 runs in a thrilling first Test of the three-match series at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Monday. For Pakistan, it was surely a heartbreak as they did not just go down in the match and in the series, but their chances of making the Test Championship final suffered a major blow, which subsequently boosted India’s chances.
Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) President Stephen Fry could not stop his excitement after England’s enthralling win in the third session on Day 5. “If it’s not out, there’s five minutes gone isn’t it out of the game?, Oh my goodness. Here we go. Oh, that’s got to be out surely. I mean leh stump, but not missing leg surely. No Bat. Oh it’s like extracting teeth, come on! Come on, technology. Here We go! Yes.” Fry reacted.
Fry appreciated England captain Ben Stokes and said, “Oh Glory! What a piece of captaincy the declaration was. Oh, Ben Stokes! Stunning Captaincy! Wow, go Ben. That is exquisite. I don’t think any other captain in cricket would have won that Test match.”
Watch the video here:
🗣 "Stunning captaincy. Wow, go Ben!"
— Marylebone Cricket Club (@MCCOfficial) December 5, 2022
MCC President, Stephen Fry, with his live reaction to @englandcricket's sublime Test victory over Pakistan today.#PAKvENG | #CricketTwitter pic.twitter.com/eFJNhwUu6P
‘We were not up to the mark’- Babar Azam
England scripted a sensational win on Monday in the most batting-friendly pitch as they beat Pakistan by 74 runs in the opening match of the series. It was a bold move on Sunday evening when they declared the second innings with four sessions to go with the sheer aim to pick all 10 wickets and force a result. And they did it, it the nick of time in Rawalpindi.
After the loss Pakistan captain, Babar Azam said that they had a golden chance to win the match but they couldn’t put partnerships at the end and started losing wickets at regular intervals of time. England bowlers put up a really good show with the ball on Day 5.
“We were not up to the mark. Had a golden chance in the second innings, but session by session we lost wickets. Our bowling group is young. Unfortunately, Haris injured himself in the first innings. All credit to the bowlers who bowled well and tried without Haris. We try to stick to our plans. Difficult when the opponent goes at 7 an over. We had an opportunity in the second innings. But we didn’t get partnerships in the end. A lot of positives. Our batting performed very well. Bowling also very well,” Pakistan captain Babar said after the match.
