England pulled off a thrilling 74-run victory over Pakistan after an absorbing day five of the first Test in Rawalpindi.
It is just the latest in a series of famous victories under the captaincy of Ben Stokes, who guided his side to just a third ever away victory against Pakistan.
Working against both time and a stubborn Pakistan tail on the flattest of pitches, the tourists held their nerve with light quickly diminishing as Jack Leach claimed the crucial final wicket, clinching one of England’s greatest Test wins.
It was all made possible after Stokes’ aggressive declaration on Sunday, which gave the hosts a target of 343 to win and forced the prospect of a result despite four days of dominance with the bat.
And an inspired bowling performance from seamers James Anderson and Ollie Robinson forced a remarkable victory to move into a 1-0 lead in the three-Test series.
England’s Ben Stokes celebrates with teammates after the dismissal of Pakistan’s Haris Rauf
” height=”4891″ width=”3261″ layout=”responsive” class=”inline-gallery-btn i-amphtml-layout-responsive i-amphtml-layout-size-defined” on=”tap:inline-image-gallery,inline-image-carousel.goToSlide(index=1)” tabindex=”0″ role=”button” data-gallery-length=”2″ i-amphtml-layout=”responsive”> England’s Ben Stokes celebrates with teammates after the dismissal of Pakistan’s Haris Rauf (AFP via Getty Images)
Saud Shakeel had provided the most resistance in the second innings for Pakistan, adding 76 runs from 159 balls.
But evergreen Anderson, 40, turned the game in his side’s favour after producing two wickets in an over.
Zahid Mahmood and Haris Rauf were removed to leave the tourists on the brink of victory.
And England finally landed the elusive 10th wicket, with approximately 10 minutes of light remaining, thanks to Leach.
The spinner trapped Naseem Shah lbw to spark wild scenes of celebration after a tense moment waiting for the review.
The second Test starts on Friday in Multan, Punjab, with Liam Livingstone ruled out of the rest of the tour due to a knee injury.
