The wait is finally over. For the first time since 2021, Pakistan have won a Test series at home, coming back from 1-0 down to confirm a 2-1 success over England. A comprehensive nine-wicket win on day-three of the third and decisive Test in Rawalpindi arrived before lunch, achieved with so little fuss that England’s victory by an innings in the opening match feels like it belongs in a different series altogether. It is only the second time Pakistan have come from behind in a series and the first time they have done so at home.

Just as it was in the first innings, and indeed the victorious second Test at Multan, Noman Ali and Sajid Khan ran riot, bagging all 10 wickets as England were snuffed out for 112 in a listless second innings performance. It was Noman’s turn to pocket the match ball with 6 for 42, a sixth five-wicket haul, while Sajid’s 4 for 69 registered a second 10-wicket match of his 10-Test career after 6 for 128 on the first day.

That left a nominal chase of 36 on the table, which was still enough for beleaguered home skipper Shan Masood to indulge in a cathartic 23 from six deliveries. He clouted four successive fours against Jack Leach upon his arrival to the crease after Saim Ayub was trapped leg before, then sealed victory with a towering six off Shoaib Bashir.

Prior to Masood walking off with Abdullah Shafique, Noman and Sajid had done so hand in hand, basking in the glory of instigating England’s day three collapse in which the final seven wickets fell for just 46, and the fact their introductions turned the series on its head. Since being drafted into the squad after the tourists took a 1-0 lead, they have managed 39 wickets between them – Noman’s left-arm spin taking 20 and Sajid’s off breaks 19.

And yet, things began serenely enough for England. They started Saturday 53 behind on 24 for 3, but in Root and Brook, they had two batters capable of chipping off that deficit, and then some. When Brook began the 13th over by striking Sajid for back-to-back fours – first through cover, then over mid off on the charge – the more pessimistic Pakistan fans might have been wondering if the Yorkshire pair were about to embark on another match-tilting partnership. After all, it was these two who combined for all of 454 in the first Test at Multan.

However, that was before Sajid and Noman entered the series. And after the former adjusted his line to keep Brook honest, the latter followed up a slow delivery with one far quicker that was cut late into the gloves of Mohammad Rizwan. Pakistan’s lead had been cut to 11, but the first domino had been toppled. Others duly followed. Stokes’ troubles against spin continued, inexplicably leading a straight delivery from Noman, expecting turn from over the wicket that never came. Jamie Smith’s charge to Sajid was almost as bad, bowled off stump through a wild swing that belied the sensibilities he had displayed with a load-bearing 89 in the first innings.

It was only four balls after Smith’s dismissal that England went ahead, and what hopes they had of extending that in a meaningful way ended when Root was snared by a pearler from Noman with a lead of eight. Perfect dip onto a length to drag the right-hander forward from around the wicket, before just enough spin – it was a delivery the 38-year-old had served up a few times but only Root was good enough to nick.

Sajid tagged in to lop off the tail, yorking Gus Atkinson before knocking back Rehan Ahmed’s leg stump for his second 10-wicket match haul. And he looked to have bagged a second five-for in the match when Shoaib Bashir was given out LBW on the sweep. A cursory DRS review came back in the No.11’s favour, with the impact onto the pad coming outside off stump. The reprieve only brought an extra two runs, as Noman caught Leach lacking on the charge, firing one wide of the advancing left-hander, stumped smartly by Rizwan.

A lead of 35 was always going to be light work on a pitch that was far from demonic, but it was Masood’s introduction that ensured formalities were completed inside 3.1 overs. Ayub began the chase with a brace of fours at the end of the first over before Leach pinned him in front, confirmed via DRS after another erroneous call from umpire Sharfuddoula.

But even his dismissal brought some icing to the cake, as Masood took the team charging over the line for his first series win as captain. After starting his tenure with six straight defeats before the second Test of this series, it was hard to begrudge him that honour. Sajid Khan and Noman Ali had faded from view until a fortnight ago, having played no first-class cricket, and with no realistic ambitions of an imminent return to the Pakistan side. So when they did, and ended up sharing 39 of England’s 40 wickets to fall over the past two Tests, Sajid, awarded the Player of the Series trophy, expressed much the same sentiment.

“Nomi bhai is one of the most experienced players on the Pakistan domestic circuit,” Sajid said at the presentation. “We should be sharing these Player of the Series awards. He’s a great spinner who has mentored and helped me as well, and so every bit as much credit goes to him.” This will be a series to forget for England, but in Pakistan, it is this duo it will be remembered for. That they would run through England’s batters appears inevitable in hindsight; but when England rocked along to 211 for 2 in the first innings in Multan – on a pitch Sajid said offered something “even if the spinner did nothing” – it was Sajid and Noman’s reputations on the line.

And though Sajid insists the match situation didn’t worry him, the weight of expectation on him was a different matter. “There wasn’t so much pressure [of the series] but [there was] some pressure of the comeback. The captain, the vice captain, the whole team was gelling well together. We play domestic cricket together, on these kinds of wickets, so there wasn’t that much pressure.”

The 38-year old Noman has the experience to know not to take any opportunity for granted. “I feel it’s been a while since we’ve performed well in Pakistan,” he said, sat alongside Sajid at the post-series press conference. “We’re grateful we had the conditions for the opportunity to win the series this way. The way we came back is especially pleasing, and we hope we get similar conditions in future and we’ll pose difficulties for other teams.”

But Noman also recognised the extent to which Pakistan got away with one here. The plan to pivot sharply to spin was, much like the surfaces they decided to use, half-baked. Their first-choice spinner Abrar Ahmed was out of the series, and the three spinners Pakistan called upon hadn’t played any first-class cricket since January. If England were to be beaten, it would happen through Sajid and Noman’s muscle memory and experience.

If Pakistan are to employ this strategy in the future – the prospect of which Noman was unsurprisingly supportive – he believed they needed to do it properly. “I think if you want to prepare spinners, you need to play more red-ball cricket,” he said. “You get all kinds of conditions in first-class cricket with new and old ball. When you do that, it gives you a lot of experience.” It is rare for a Test to have shifted as far back and forth as this third Test between Pakistan and England has in the space of two days. But a gutsy century from Saud Shakeel.

Shakeel’s remarkable 134 from 223 deliveries – his fourth in Tests – dragged Pakistan to 344, boasting a vital first-innings lead of 77. That was ultimately achieved thanks to vital lower-order assistance from Noman Ali (45) and Sajid Khan (48 not out) in stands of 88 and 72 before they resumed their primary roles to run roughshod over England’s top-order.

Shakeel brought old world-style and substance. There were just five boundaries during his vigil, the fourth of those a firm sweep in front of square which took him to 50 from 92 deliveries. His fifth and final one came 108 balls later. It was appropriate that he had the honour of taking Pakistan to 267, cancelling out England’s opening effort, with a comfortable single driven down the ground off the penultimate ball before tea.

He was also the glue throughout, present in all four of Pakistan's half-century stands in their first innings. While the 53 and 54 with Shan Masood and Mohammed Rizwan respectively had been about consolidation and rebuilding, the partnerships with Noman and Sajid set a new agenda. The former did his bit to achieve parity, the latter unfurled a heavy assault with four sixes among six boundaries, which included blasting off-spinner Shoaib Bashir out of the attack as his final over went for 19.

Brendon McCullum, England’s head coach, says his team have “no excuses” after crashing to a 2-1 series defeat with back-to-back losses in Multan and Rawalpindi, but admits he was surprised it took Pakistan until the second Test to prepare the sort of spinning pitches that have been his team’s undoing on recent tours of the subcontinent.

About the writer
Shahzeb Ali Rizvi is a sports aficionado with a keen eye for the intricacies of cricket and football. He can be reached at [email protected]