Pakistan snapped an 11-game home winless streak in Test cricket by defeating England in Multan, ending a long wait for victory.
The team opted for a used pitch in the second test after suffering an innings defeat in the first, changing its strategy towards spin-heavy bowling.
Pakistan’s win marked a shift from the batting-friendly pitches it had used over the past five years, which saw flat surfaces and high-scoring games.
Since 2019, batting has flourished in Pakistan, with players averaging 38.03 runs per dismissal, the highest for any Test-playing nation during that period.
Pakistan has witnessed 48 centuries in 17 Tests at home in the last five years, with a rate of 2.82 centuries per game – the highest globally.
The flatter pitches resulted in more draws, with over 29 per cent of its home Tests ending without a definitive result in the last five years.
Moreover, efforts to create pace-friendly wickets to negate opposing teams’ fast bowlers backfired, leading to more losses, including a 3-0 series defeat to England.
It’s fair to say that the home advantage wasn’t fully utilised due to inconsistent performances from Pakistan’s own batters, especially a struggling Babar Azam.
For the second test against England in the ongoing series, the move to use spinners Sajid Khan (in pic) and Noman Ali in the Multan Test proved decisive, as they took all 20 English wickets in the match.