Under the leadership of Ben Stokes, England team registered history as they defeated Pakistan in the third and final Test at National Stadium in Karachi by eight wickets and completed a clean sweep. Notably, the tourists had earlier won the opening Test in Rawalpindi by 74 runs, followed by a 26-run victory in the second Test at Multan.
After bundling out Pakistan for 216 in the second innings, England needed only 167 runs to win the Karachi Test. The visitors continued their aggressive approach and went on to score 112/2 at stumps on Day 3 with only 55 required, which they achieved on Day 4 with Ben Duckett (82) and Stokes (35) remaining unbeaten.
During the third day’s play, Stokes was involved in a funny moment when he tried to go for a biggie in the 15th over of England’s chase bowled by Nauman Ali. On the fifth delivery, Stokes stepped down the track and tried to slog, but he ended up losing his bat as it slipped out of his hand. The attempt from Stokes was so hard that his bat travelled a long distance and landed near the square leg umpire.
Here is the video:
Ben Stokes to Pakistani fielders… Catch the bat first
🎥@asportstvpk#PAKvsENG #BabarAzam pic.twitter.com/hoF4XZfoQc
— Ali Hasan 🏅 (@AaliHasan10) December 19, 2022
After the win, Stokes mentioned his team stuck to their game plan and adapted well to the challenging situation. The English skipper lavished praise on the bowlers, especially the debutant Rehan Ahmed and also appreciated Harry Brook, who was rewarded with ‘Player of the Series’.
“We got a process in which we want to play, the challenge is to play on different kinds of pitches, and we stuck to our gameplan and adapted really well with bat and ball. Everyone delivered. Every person stood up at some point and put on some kind of match-winning performance. Harry Brook has been a treat to watch, the calmness and belief he has at such a young age is incredible. The confidence and belief he’s (Rehan Ahmed) got to do what he does, he is not a finished article, but it is seriously exciting for England,” said Stokes in the post-match presentation.
