PAK vs ENG, 1st Test: Famous broadcaster & cricket expert Harsha Bhogle once said, 'Test cricket is like life, you never know what will be thrown at you, but you need to ride the difficult times in search of the good ones'. The recently concluded match between Ben Stokes' England and Babar Azam's Pakistan was the perfect example of this. The Test match saw everything, from aggressive batting to fielding, from batters fighting like warriors to bowlers bowling their hearts out and giving everything they have.
The term 'Bazball' has been coined and has been used very often to describe England's prowess in the longest format of the game and they have come out and shown that nothing is impossible. England's judgement of the game and where it was hanging was questioned when Ben Stokes declared the innings and asked Pakistan to chase a stiff target of 343 runs. The Rawalpindi track which was nothing but a road strip offered Pakistan an equal chance of winning the game. The Test match saw seven centuries, four from England and three from Pakistan, and had pretty much nothing for the bowlers, but come to the final day, the English bowlers managed to deliver and made this Test match a viewing spectacle.
The English batters in particular stood up to the occasion as this was their first overseas assignment under the leadership of Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes. Four centuries were scored on the very first day and it enabled the English side to take firm control of the match. Pakistan, who were expected to crumble under pressure, replied in style and with three centuries which nullified England's advantage. The magnitude of the victory is such that English stalwart James Anderson too has reacted to it in a very joyous manner.
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James Anderson said:
I don't think I have actually (seen anything like it). It's probably one of the best wins I've been involved in, if not the best
Nasser Hussain too said:
One of the greatest ever captaincies in Test match cricket you'll ever see from Ben Stokes. I don't think I've seen a better week of captaincy than what we've seen from that man
This Test match will go down in history as one of the finest. As of now, Pakistan are 1-0 up in the series. The second Test match will be played in Multan Cricket Stadium and will start on December 9, 2022. This certain Test match has set Twitter ablaze as Netizens stood up and saluted the beauty of Test cricket.
