England complete a historic run-chase, first Test: Records broken
An emphatic partnership by Jos Buttler and Chris Woakes guided England to a three-wicket victory over Pakistan in the first Test at the Old Trafford. The hosts showed plenty of character on Day 4 even after losing five wickets before the 150-mark. The dynamic duo helped England chase a record total of 277 in the dying hours. Here are the records broken.
England finally break the jinx!
England pulled off their highest successful run-chase at the Old Trafford since 2008. Incidentally, their six-wicket win over New Zealand in 2008 marked the last successful run-chase at this ground, until the recent victory. The hosts had chased down 294 against NZ back then. Notably, England won the first match of a series after losing the opener on five previous occasions.
Buttler, Woakes turn it around for England
Just when the hosts lost all the hope, the likes of Jos Buttler and Chris Woakes launched a befitting counter-attack against Pakistani bowlers. While Buttler accomplished his 17th half-century, the latter complimented him with a knock of 84*. The duo shared a 149-run stand after England were reduced to 117/5. Their resounding partnership handed the hosts a three-wicket victory at the end.
Eleventh Test defeat for Pakistan in England (since 2000)
After having gained the edge initially, Pakistan completely lost the track towards the end. This was their 11th Test defeat in England since 2000. Notably, Pakistan registered their fifth Test victory on the English soil in the 2018 tour. They are yet to win in the nation ever since. It remains to be seen if the Azhar Ali-led side could turn the tables.
Yasir Shah fires again for Pakistan
Yasir Shah yet again proved why he fancies playing in England. The senior leg-spinner snapped up as many as eight wickets in the match. However, his exploits in the first innings fetched Pakistan the all-important lead as he finished with figures of 66/4. Interestingly, this was the fifth time when Yasir took 4 or more wickets in an innings in England.
Yet another masterclass from Babar Azam
Despite failing in the latter half of the Test, middle-order batsman Babar Azam maintained his substantial run. He rescued Pakistan in the first innings after two batsmen departed in quick succession. Babar put up an aggressive 69 off 106 balls, smashing 11 fours. Since November 2019, Babar has amassed 689 Test runs from ten innings at an average of 86.12.
Three consecutive Test hundreds for Shan Masood
In the first innings, Pakistan opener Shan Masood raced to his fourth Test century after scoring a defiant 156 off 319 balls. Notably, this was his third consecutive ton in Test cricket. He became the second opener from the country after Mudassar Nazar to smash three consecutive Test hundreds. Other elite batsmen to do so are Zaheer Abbas, Mohammad Yousuf, Younis Khan, and Misbah-ul-Haq.
