Pakistan’s victory in the Rawalpindi Test marks their first home series win since January 2021. During this time at home, they faced losses against Australia (1-0), England (3-0), and Bangladesh (2-0), and drew with New Zealand (0-0). This win also breaks a streak of three consecutive losses at Rawalpindi.
This is only the second time Pakistan has won a three-match Test series after losing the first Test. They previously achieved this during the away series against Zimbabwe in 1994/95. Also, this Test is the first on home soil to conclude within three days since the Lahore Test against New Zealand in 2002.
It’s Pakistan’s first Test series win against England since November 2015, after drawing two series in 2016 and 2018 and losing two more in 2020 and 2022. The nine-wicket win is Pakistan’s largest margin against England at home. This also marks England’s second defeat in the Bazball era, following their loss to India earlier this year.
England’s second innings total of just 112 runs is their second-lowest in Tests against Pakistan. It’s also their joint fifth-lowest total in Asia and the lowest in Pakistan.
Lowest Totals for England in Asia:
| Total | Inngs # | Opponent | Venue | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 72 | 4 | Pakistan | Abu Dhabi | 2012 |
| 81 | 2 | Sri Lanka | Galle | 2007 |
| 81 | 3 | India | Ahmedabad | 2021 |
| 102 | 4 | India | Wankhede | 1981 |
| 112 | 1 | India | Ahmedabad | 2021 |
| 112 | 3 | Pakistan | Rawalpindi | 2024 |
Sajid and Noman Shine in Spin
- Throughout this three-match series, 73 wickets fell to spinners, the highest in a Test series in Pakistan’s history. Sajid Khan (19/401) and Noman Ali (20/277) together accounted for 39 of the 40 wickets in the last two Tests. This performance ranks as the joint third-most spin wickets taken by Pakistan in a Test series.
Most Wickets by Spinners in a Series in Pakistan:
| Spin Wickets | Team | Against | Season | Series Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 73 | Pakistan | England | 2024/25 | PAK 2-1 |
| 71 | Pakistan | New Zealand | 1969/70 | NZ 1-0 |
| 68 | Pakistan | England | 2022/23 | ENG 3-0 |
| 60 | Pakistan | England | 1987/88 | PAK 1-0 |
In a first for Pakistan, no pace bowlers were used during the Match, making this only the second instance in Test history. Previously, in 2018, Bangladesh fielded a team of five spinners against the West Indies.
England’s first innings did not feature a single delivery from pace bowlers, a rarity last seen in 1882. Eighteen wickets fell to spin, tying the record for most spin dismissals in the initial two innings of a Test in Pakistan.
Sajid Khan took 6/128 in the first innings and Noman Ali had 6/69 in the second, marking the eighth time two Pakistani spinners secured five-wicket hauls in the same match. All 20 wickets in this Test were taken by Pakistan spinners, a rarity they last achieved in the previous match in Multan.
Sajid Khan’s match figures of 10/197 is now the joint second-best bowling record at the Rawalpindi ground, while Noman Ali’s second-innings figures stand out as the best for a spin bowler there.
Shan Masood scored 23 runs off just six balls, achieving a strike rate of 383.33, the highest on record in a Test innings where six or more balls were faced.
Saud Shakeel scored 134 runs, but only 14.93% of his runs came from boundaries, marking one of the lowest percentages in Pakistan Test history for a player with over 100 runs.
Sajid Khan joined the ranks of Imran Khan and Abdul Qadir as the only players in Test history to take 10 wickets and hit 4 sixes in one Test match. His four sixes are the most for a number 10 batter in Pakistan’s Test history.
