Pakistan Hit a New Low, Become First-ever Team to Lose a Test by an Innings After Scoring 500-Plus in 1st Innings

Pakistan’s woes in Test cricket continued with another crushing defeat, this time at the hands of Ollie Pope’s England in Multan. The visitors triumphed by an innings and 47 runs, taking a commanding 1-0 lead in the three-match series.

The defeat marked a new low for Pakistan, as they became the first team in Test history to suffer an innings defeat after posting a 500-plus total in their first innings. This loss marked their sixth consecutive defeat in the longest format and their seventh on home soil in the last nine matches. Pakistan’s home record currently sits at a dismal 0%-win percentage since 2022, having lost six and drawn four out of ten matches.

The hosts initially dominated the Multan Test, piling on 556 runs thanks to centuries from Abdullah Shafique, Shan Masood, and a late surge from Salman Agha. Pakistan’s dominance with the bat, spanning almost two days, seemed to promise a commanding position.

However, England responded with a batting masterclass of their own. Joe Root and Harry Brook combined for a record-breaking partnership of 454 runs, rewriting record books and leaving the statisticians working overtime.

Brook became the sixth English batsman to score a triple century, while Root, narrowly missing out on his triple ton, surpassed Sir Alastair Cook to become England’s highest run-scorer in Test history. Their monumental partnership propelled England to a mammoth 823/7, the fourth-highest innings total ever in Test cricket, before declaring.

The pitch, a batting paradise in the first innings, began to deteriorate, offering unpredictable bounce and widening cracks. England’s seam attack, led by Woakes, Carse, and Atkinson, exploited these conditions masterfully. Their devastating spell ripped through Pakistan’s top and middle order, exposing their vulnerability on a now challenging surface.

Spinner Jack Leach grabbed four wickets in the second innings. Pakistan, resuming on the fifth and final day at 152-6 batted for 96 minutes before they were dismissed for 220, with Leach leading England’s attack with 4-30.