PAK vs ENG | Twitter reacts to Ben Stokes almost left embarrassed by early celebrations as England clinch series with 26-run victory

SportsCafe Desk

BySportsCafe Desk, SportsCafe Editor

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England sealed off a historic series win with a 26-run triumph in Multan as their pacers starred on a track that kept low and slow. The victory came in dramatic fashion as skipper Ben Stokes went in for post-game handshakes despite the result not being confirmed yet due to an ongoing DRS appeal.

England registered their first Test series win in Pakistan in two decades as they staved off a valiant run-chase by the hosts to emerge triumphant by 26 runs in the second Test at the Multan Cricket Stadium. The visitors, coming on the back of a revolutionary 74-run win in Rawalpindi, were re-inforced by strike pacer Mark Wood for the second game and the quick came up trumps when it mattered the most to deliver the win.

England, choosing to bat first, continued to employ their aggressive batting strategy even though the pitch did quite a bit for the spinners, managing a competitive 281 on the back of half-centuries from Ben Duckett and Ollie Pope. Debutant Abrar Ahmad starred for Pakistan, scalping seven wickets in his first-ever innings before taking four more the second time around to end up with a 10-wicket haul. The hosts in the first innings seemed to be cruising at 142/2 with skipper Babar Azam on 75, but his fall triggered a collapse as Saud Shakeel fell soon after for 63. Six wickets fell for 21 runs, as Jack leach starred with four wickets, with Pakistan eventually folding up for 202.

Taking advantage of the 79-run lead, England for once took their time and conjured up a score of 275 thus setting a target of 355. Harry Brooks was the star of the show with his second Test century while Duckett scored a handsome 79. At stumps on day three, Pakistan seemed to be on the front foot heading home with six wickets in hand and 157 runs to get, a stance that only strengthened with an 80-run partnership between Mohammad Nawaz and Saud Shakeel for the fifth wicket. However, the two fell within the space of one run and despite a courageous cameo of 17 by Abrar Ahmad, England wrapped up the tail with 26 still to get.

While Mark Wood stood out with four scalps, it was Ollie Robinson that ended the game by dismissing Mohammad Ali. The batter had a faint edge that carried to the keeper and even though he induced a 'celebrappeal' from England, the umpire took his time to raise his finger. Even as Ali called for DRS, Stokes was sure of the result and attempted to shake hands with him only to be rejected given the decision was still under question. The roller-coaster of a game provoked great reactions from Twitterati.

That's hilarious!

Lot of mistakes

Serious due!

Turning point

Luck factor

WTC dust now

Outplayed

Gave away

Nightmare

Getting intense

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