Star batter Babar Azam and ace pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi reacted to Pakistan’s home Test series victory after a gap of more than three years.
Pakistan were in heaps of trouble after succumbing to an innings and 47 runs defeat in the opening fixture, which saw England rack up a humongous total of 823/7d in the first innings, courtesy of Harry Brook’s triple century and Joe Root’s double century.
The under-fire hosts needed a miracle to fight for the series glory and they made four massive changes to their squad for the remaining two Tests, which marked the ouster of big names like Babar Azam, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah.
Consistent domestic performer Kamran Ghulam replaced Babar, while the dynamic spin duo of Sajid Khan and Noman Ali came in as Shaheen and Naseem’s replacement.
The spin duo dismantled England in the remaining two Tests and picked up 39 out of their 40 wickets, while another late entrant Zahid Mahmood bagged the solitary wicket.
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Besides troubling England with their spin mastery, Sajid and Noman chipped in with the bat, providing handy contributions.
The mid-series additions Sajid Khan and Noman Ali played a pivotal role in marking an astounding turnaround for Pakistan, who recovered from 0-1 down to beat England 2-1 and seal their first Test series victory at home since 2021.
Meanwhile, star batter Babar Azam, who was dropped from the squad after the opening Test, owing to his string of below-par performances, congratulated the team on an “incredible turnaround” and also lauded Sajid Khan and Noman Ali.
“Phenomenal effort once again to make a grand comeback. Amazing turnaround by Noman and Sajid! Congratulations, Team Pakistan,” Babar posted on Instagram.
Meanwhile, left-arm pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi hailed Sajid and Noman for “pitch-perfect” performances and vice-captain Saud Shakeel for a gutsy century.
“What an incredible way to introduce #AqibBall to the world. Pitch-perfect performance from the spin duo Noman and Sajid, and incredible century by Saud Shakeel. Congratulations Pakistan,” wrote Shaheen on his Instagram story.
READ: New Zealand hand India first home Test series defeat in 12 years