RAWALPINDI, Pakistan :Pakistan made some bold selection calls and milked their home advantage to fashion a remarkable 2-1 series victory against an England team, who will return home plagued by self-doubts. Few expected Shan Masood and his men to bounce back in such a fashion after Bangladesh blanked them 2-0 in their previous test series at home. When England inflicted an innings defeat on them in the series opener in Multan to grab a 1-0 lead in the series, it was quite on the expected lines.
Pakistan selectors then did the unthinkable and dropped three of the biggest names in Pakistan cricket, going by current reputation. Batting mainstay Babar Azam and frontline pacers Naseem Shah and Shaheen Afridi were axed and Pakistan recognised spin as their strong suit. They levelled the series on a used pitch in Multan and then rolled out a raging turner in Rawalpindi where Noman Ali and Sajid Khan dismantled England.
The spin duo claimed 39 of the 40 English wickets in the last two tests, justifying their selection. They were so dominant in Rawalpindi that Pakistan did not bowl Aamer Jamal, their lone seamer, in the decider at all. Kamran Ghulam, replacing Babar in the side, vindicated the faith shown in him by smashing a match-winning hundred in his debut test in Multan.
Pakistan's lower order also bailed them out, supplying precious runs. BLOOD-STAINED SHIRT The sight of the defiant Sajid, waiting in a blood-stained shirt while a new one arrived after he had cut his chin on Frid.