Pakistan captain Shan Masood lauded the spin duo of Noman Ali and Sajid Khan, who shared 20 wickets between them in the second Test, to defeat England by 152 runs in Multan on Friday. The hosts made four changes in their playing 11 and opted for the re-used pitch that hosted the series opener last week. Pakistan went in with three pacers – Noman Ali, Sajid Khan and Zahid Mehmood – and one pacer Aamer Jamal while right-handed batter Kamaran Ghulam was handed his Test debut.
The move worked for Pakistan as Sajid bagged nine wickets and was named Player of the Match. On the other hand, Noman Ali clinched 11 scalps including figures of 8-46 in the second innings. Debutant Kamran Ghulam also scored a century in his debut knock to guide the side to 366 in the first innings.
Talking about their performance in the match, Masood expressed satisfaction with the result and credited Noman and Sajid for taking their brilliant spells.
“We are just glad that we were able to put the plans in place, get 20 wickets and were able to back it up some decent first and second innings scores. A change of strategy for us. We tried going green seamers against Bangladesh, we were a bit off. Sometimes you have to look at the opposition also, look at what the ground can provide. We haven’t played a lot of Test cricket in Multan. The only one was two years ago that offered some spin so we thought why not try to do something and make something like that,” the captain said after the match.
“Noman and Sajid coming in, it’s never easy and they looked like two seasoned campaigners. Second innings, we didn’t even need a third bowler and that speaks volumes for them. It’s a collective effort and what matters in team sport is chipping those 20-30 runs, putting those efforts in the field. Zahid didn’t bowl much but he was running around, he was there for the team, same with Jamal who scored some vital runs. Noman and Sajid were the front-runners and everyone chipped in,” he added.
It was not only Pakistan’s first Test win at home after 11 games but also Masood’s maiden victory as Test captain. “First one is always special, it has come after some hard times. A lot has happened over the last week,” he said.
“For everyone to work together, to come up with a strategy to pick 20 wickets and make it happen, that’s the most satisfying thing. You have to applaud the group. They have been hungry. You can’t doubt the effort of the guys and their commitment. It’ll be special for everyone because it’s come after some tough times and it’s kept us hungry,” Masood added.
The home captain also lauded Kamran Ghulam for his debut Test hundred in the pressure situation. “For Kami (Kamran Ghulam), it’s never easy. When you are replacing one of the best batters in the world … I read some things that were horrid even before he played his first Test match. I can’t even imagine the pressure that someone can be under. But we were all behind him. From the get go, he seemed like he belonged. To get that century, that’s special,” Masood said.
“Agha is probably one of my favourite players, he’s a team player. For him to play in those pressure situations and get something for the team, that’s special. There have been some front-runners, there have also been some really nice small contributions. Even Saim Ayub played very maturely. Everything added up and that’s what a team effort is,” he signed off.
–IANS
ab/bc
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