Not even the most optimistic English cricket fan, surely, would’ve expected this result three weeks ago.
But on Tuesday, England pulled off one of its most impressive and remarkable cricketing achievements in some time, defeating Pakistan by eight wickets to win the third Test in Karachi and claim a 3-0 series.
Prior to its first visit to Pakistan in 17 years, England had toured the country eight times. It’d won just two of its 24 Tests against Pakistan.
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Overall, 47 per cent of Test matches previously played in Pakistan – traditionally on flat, lifeless pitches – ended in draws.
Pakistan had never lost three Tests in the same series on home soil.
But England and Bazball blew that all up and bucked all those trends with the most exhilarating display with both bat and ball across the three-Test series.
“To achieve this result is completely unheard of,” former opener David Gower told Sky Sports.
“They should be mighty proud of this and I think people around the world should respect that and English cricket fans should respect that immensely.”
Former top-order English batter Mark Butcher added: “It‘s quite astonishing. In a land where the draw is king, England haven’t looked like drawing any of them.”
While England’s batting firepower has drawn ample praise over recent weeks, its bowling has been just as imposing.
Remarkably, England bowled Pakistan all out in both innings of all three Tests.
“They were the flattest pitches we‘ve seen for a very, very long time … So for them to get 20 wickets three times in a row and win three games and to get the rate of runs to buy them time to get 20 wickets was incredible really,” ex-England skipper Nasser Hussain told Sky Sports.
“To go 3-0 on these pitches and without Broad and Anderson in this one (third Test) – and they haven‘t won for a long time without Broad and Anderson – that shows the depth in English cricket.
“Everything they‘ve touched has just turned to gold on this tour.”
Former England captain Michael Atherton dubbed it a “stunning triumph of strategy” for England, considering the flat pitches and slightly shorter days in Pakistan.
Under the new set-up of head coach Brendon McCullum and captain Ben Stokes, who took charge of a misfiring side that had won just one of its previous 17 Tests, England has now triumphed in nine of its past 10 Tests.
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The series win over Pakistan validated England’s decision to play the bold and aggressive cricket dubbed ‘Bazball’ after McCullum’s nickname.
“Just the way the way they‘ve played the cricket – the attacking style, the dominance, they’ve made the Pakistan team look like the away team on numerous occasions – and they’ve played with a smile on their face, there’s not been many passages of play that you just want to turn the TV off because it’s boring. It’s been really enjoyable,” star England bowler Stuart Broad told Sky Sports.
The most blatant example of Bazball came on the record-breaking first day of the first Test when England clobbered 506 runs from just 75 overs, with four players registering centuries.
“That’s more than I thought we were going to make, to be honest,” McCullum said with a laugh on Tuesday.
“The way Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett started for us in that Test match, it laid a marker out for where this team wants to be and how brave they were prepared to be and to try and play the role that the team needs you to play, rather than getting too caught up in your own stuff. That was a huge day for us as it allowed us to try and force a result in that game.
“Maybe the series would have been different if we hadn‘t gone down that route.”
Hussain said he didn’t think any other side under any other captain would’ve been able to produce that feat then win that Test on that Rawalpindi pitch
McCullum paid special tribute to Stokes post-match.
“I thought the skipper was absolutely magnificent right throughout the series, not just on the field,” he said.
“Everyone sees the decisions he makes and the strings he pulls on the field, but it‘s his man management and his ability to get the very best out of each member of the side off the field, which is the most impressive part from my point of view.”
Stokes pulled out some left-field tactics and moves during the series. He gave left-arm spinner Jack Leach the new ball in four innings, while legendary seamer Jimmy Anderson came on as the third-change bowler in the second Test. There were also some extraordinary fields, often with no slips in place.
Stokes said he captained on instinct – an approach that suited the subcontinental conditions.
“A lot of my decisions out here were based on what I thought was the best option at any given time,” he told Sky Sports.
“Out here is probably the easiest conditions to actually mess around with a few different things. You’ve just got to understand and realise actually how you‘re going to get a wicket. You don’t have to have a slip … so using that slip somewhere else to visually upset the batsman or that slip is better off in a catching cover or catching mid-wicket.
“I’ve just got to go with my gut. If I start thinking with my head too much, it could go all wrong!”
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Stokes said everything he tried came off on the slow and turning pitches of Pakistan, adding seeing his tactics work in tough conditions was “the best thing”.
“It’s amazing to think about before we even started the series that we‘re here now and 3-0 and we’ve taken the series without losing,” he said.
“We understand and I understand what a huge achievement this is. It probably won‘t really sink in maybe until the new year, but amazing and just an incredible all-round effort from everybody.”
— with AFP
