Pakistan vs England, 1st Test review: Ben Stokes inspires a victory that could change Test cricket forever
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England 657 & 264-7 dec beat Pakistan 579 & 268 (Shakeel 76, Imam 48 | Anderson 4-36, Robinson 4-50) by 74 runs
In the 145 years of its existence, Test cricket has never seen anything like this. Not only was this one of the greatest wins by any team, but this extraordinary victory for England may change the way the game’s oldest format is played forever.
The result, sealed in the Rawalpindi gloaming, put England 1-0 up in the three-match series against Pakistan.
But it means so much more than just that. This was an England performance that defied all manner of things – convention, a dead pitch, the fading light that caused more than 50 overs to be lost throughout the match and a defiant Pakistan rearguard.
As Jack Leach trapped Naseem Shah lbw to seal victory with just minutes of the final day remaining, England and their talismanic captain Ben Stokes were able to celebrate the ultimate vindication of their “Bazball” philosophy.
Stokes, who produced perhaps the greatest exhibition of captaincy ever seen by an Englishman in this spellbinding contest, and coach Brendon McCullum have transformed the way this team approach Test cricket since coming together at the start of last summer.
Now with seven victories from eight games, a team who had previously won one in 17 can lay claim to being the best in the world.
The manner of this win was truly remarkable. The way England batted, scoring 921 runs in just 137 overs, was one thing. Yet even more impressive was the way the bowlers stuck to their task on a pitch that offered them absolutely nothing.
When Stokes declared at tea on day four, setting Pakistan 343 to win, many saw it as a foolhardy act, gifting the chance of victory to a side who had chased down 344 against Sri Lanka in Galle just two Tests previously.
England’s mantra under Stokes and McCullum has been: “We don’t do draws.” For many, the fact they were willing to put so much on the line to achieve victory in this match was reckless. Why risk losing when you are so far ahead in the game? Results do matter in top-level sport. Indeed, captains, coaches and teams are ultimately judged by them.
But even if they had lost this Test, England should rightly have been applauded for bringing alive a game that, had any other team been playing in it, was destined for a bore draw.
As a gripped full-house in Rawalpindi cheered every delivery their final-wicket pair kept out in the closing stages, McCullum, whose stated aim is to revive Test cricket, would have been right to ask his critics: “Are you not entertained?”
As it was, England got exactly what their enterprising, sensational approach to this Test deserved – an astonishing win. The pitch for this match – one that surely will surely be judged harshly by the International Cricket Council – was so dead that the 1,768 runs it produced was the most ever for a five-day Test.
The top two on that list date back to the 1930s, with England’s draws in timeless Tests against the West Indies in Jamaica and South Africa in Durban being played for 10 and 12 days respectively.
But an England bowling attack that included a 40-year-old James Anderson, a seamer in Ollie Robinson playing his first Test in Asia and a spinner in Jack Leach who has long been maligned, found a way to somehow get the job done.
Much of that was down to the brilliance of Stokes. After a morning session that in which just one wicket had fallen, from Anderson, and the spinners attacked, he kept the seamers on for almost the entire afternoon session. During that period Stokes, in order to rotate Anderson and Robinson, bowled an unbroken 11-over spell himself, a remarkable effort from a man nursing a long-term knee injury.
Just two wickets came in the session and at the interval, Stokes kept his players on the field for a pep talk – with the message that this Test was not yet lost. At this stage Pakistan, five down and needing 86 to win, were favourites.
Yet England, through superb spells of reverse swing bowling from Anderson and Robinson, got four of the five wickets they needed.
Stokes’ decision to delay taking the second new ball was a masterstroke. His decision to then hand it to Leach at the death was another.
It set the seal on a performance, and a win, that was truly astounding.