Pakistan vs England, 2nd Test at Multan, PAK vs ENG, Oct 15 2024 - Match Result

12.21pm So, that is pretty much a wrap from Multan. It's been a memorable nine days of action on this strip of turf... from 823 for 7 declared to 144 all out, England have seen it all this past fortnight! And now we head off to Rawalpindi with the series up for grabs. It's a tantalising prospect, let's hope for a surface that is fitting of the occasion. Something for everyone generally makes for the best cricket! From Miller, Alan, Vairavan and the team, thanks and see you next time!

Samarth: "Brilliant comeback in the series by Pakistan. This shows that you need specialist spinners in your team especially in the subcontinent conditions. "

Samarth: "The three addition to the team - Ghulam, Noman and Sajid won the match for Pakistan."

Time for some presentations. After various sponsors awards, Sajid Khan is named Player of the Match for his nine-wicket haul, and thanks the crowd for the support.

"After losing the last two series, we just backed our processes. Noman is one of the most experienced players, he's played everywhere."

Ben Stokes: "Ben Duckett's first-innings hundred showed us the way, in extreme conditions you've got to find a way to negate that spin. I don't like to live by hindsight... no-one means to drop catches, but you don't get them often behind the wicket [in these conditions]. Spinners get spoken about a lot, but Carse and Potts kept charging in ball after ball and created so much atmosphere when the spinners needed a break. Worked hard to get fit for this game, nothing can prepare you for standing in the field in this heat. Been a great series so far, great it's going down to the last one."

Shan Masood: "The first one is always special, after some rough times, For the boys to step in, a lot has happened this past week, but we came up with a strategy to get 20 wickets and we made it happen. Three years and 11 months creates hunger, can't doubt the effort and commitment, it's come after some tough times, put plans in place and backed up with decent first and second-innings scores. We tried green seamers against Bangladesh and were a bit off. Not a lot of cricket in Multan, it offered some spin, Noman and Sajid are seasoned campaigners. Big efforts in the field, everyone has a part to play. For Kamran, never easy to replace one of best batters in the world, I read some things that were horrid, but to get that century was special. And Agha is one of my favourite players. A team player, Pakistan all-in. Saim Ayub played maturely in the first innings."

Ben Stokes is talking to Sky: "We felt we were still in the game and came to chase that down. Ben Duckett's first-innings hundred was incredible but then we lost some wickets on day two. When Pakistan were ahead of the game they could really put their foot down. Tough ask for us, but the way we took the game on today was the only way we could win."

Stokes adds that he apologised to his team-mates for losing his rag after the dropped catches last night... "won't happen again..."

12.01pm It's nearly time for the presentations. Meanwhile here's Eye of Sauron:

"This is just the third instance of 2 bowlers from the same team taking 7 wicket hauls each in a test. It last happened in Ashes test at The Oval in 1997 when McGrath and Kasprowicz took 7 wickets hauls. It first happened at Chennai in Oct 1956 when Benaud and Lindwall took 7-wicket hauls each vs India. "

There were actually three seven-fors in that 1997 Test... Tuffers got one too

11.47am What a fascinating Test match. Pakistan took a huge gamble with, well, virtually every aspect of this contest... from their selection to their pitch preparation, and it has all come together in their old-school never-say-die fashion. Noman Ali finishes with 8 for 46, to go with Sajid Khan's 7 for 111 in the first, having sparked this remarkable turnaround with the key first-innings wickets of Joe Root and Ben Duckett, whose century had seemingly set his side up for another Multan march. This nine-day-old pitch had other plans, however, and this morning it all crumbled for England very quickly, eight wickets in a session. Kamran Ghulam deserves huge kudos for his gutsy debut century too, without those runs on the board, the rest could not have come to pass. It's over to Rawalpindi for the decider!

It's Shan Masood's first victory as Test captain, after six consecutive defeats. And it's a proper shot in the arm for Pakistan as a whole, who hadn't won a home Test since 2021 ... a run that might have had them pining for their days of exile in the UAE.

Here, incidentally, are the previous instances of two bowlers claiming all 20 wickets in a Test... it's a rare old feat!

Ian: "Great figures from Noman but Sajid still higher on the list of best bowling figures in an innings with 42/8 against Bangladesh in Mirpur in 2021. Still has a hook for those bragging rights."

This is all over bar the squabble for spinners' bragging rights. Four balls for Noman to steal Sajid's cornflakes

Silly point, right underneath Leach's nose

Two slips, leg slip

He's another man who likes a sweep or three... it's the Ciderabad Aravinda himself... Jack Leach

Noman has six, both he and Sajid have nine for the match, with two wickets remaining! On this evidence, we are heading for at least one ten-for... will it be two?

Jawad Zahid: "Assuming Pakistan will win the match, who will get the Man of the Match award? Kamran Ghulam, Sajid Khan, Noman Ali?" I'd go Ghulam, but Sajid has been the most eyecatching performer!