Picture Credit: Twitter
England registered an infamous victory over Pakistan in the first Test match played at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium. The Ben Stokes-led team beat hosts Pakistan by 74 runs to go 1-0 up in the three-match Test series. It was a game of ebbs and flows and England held on to their nerves to oust Pakistan. Ben Stokes was spot on with his decision to declare England’s second innings.
With England 342 runs ahead of Pakistan, Stokes decided to call his batters back and challenged Pakistan to chase it down in four sessions. Some five years back, this would have been termed a foolish decision considering there was no help from the pitch for the bowlers. It would have been a foolish decision yesterday as well had England lost the game. But that’s not how England under their new captain and coach play Test cricket.
As Stokes said, he never had intentions to play for a draw and this mindset paid off for the Three Lions as they snatched a win out of Pakistan’s grasp. Jack Leach put the final nail in the coffin but it was not a straightforward decision. It was the much-awaited climax to a beautifully knit story. England and Pakistan had to wait as the decision was referred to the TV umpire for review.
Everyone had their eyes stuck on the screen. MCC President Stephen Fry also could not resist watching one of the most thrilling Test matches. He was feeling the nerves with every passing second. As the TV umpire took his time to come up with a final decision, Fry was waiting with his fist tightened as it felt like ‘“extracting teeth” to him. But once the batter was adjudged out, Fry was all praise for England and Ben Stokes.
“Oh Glory! What a piece of captaincy the declaration was. Oh, Ben Stokes! Stunning Captaincy! Wow, go Ben. That is exquisite. I don’t think any other captain in cricket would have won that Test match,” exclaimed Fry when the decision was shown on the big screen.
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