This bruising tour raises familiar questions after spinners Noman Ali and Sajid Khan exposed England’s batters
The sun was only just coming up in England when the last wicket went down in Pakistan. Jack Leach was deftly stumped by Mohammad Rizwan as he came galumphing down the pitch to swing and miss at a wide, of all things. Noman Ali had bowled the ball out there deliberately, fast and flat after he saw Leach coming.
It was a simple trick, like an uncle bewitching his nephew by pretending to tug off his thumb. England had a pyrrhic lead of 35 at the time, and on television Ramiz Raja lost the run of himself and prematurely called a famous victory for Pakistan. He was as good as right. The match was effectively over when Joe Root was caught behind for 33, but finally ended 30 minutes later when Shan Masood hit the winning six.
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Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2024/oct/26/cricket-england-test-stuck-spin-cycle-reality-check-pakistan-ben-stokes
Author : Andy Bull
Publish date : 2024-10-26 11:50:42
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