England were ruthlessly demolished by Pakistan spinner Noman Ali as they crashed to a 152-run defeat in Multan, with Ben Stokes’ slapstick dismissal summing up their struggles.
Chasing a vast target of 297 on a raging turner, England were bundled out for 144 with their skipper stumped after advancing down the re-used pitch and accidentally launching his bat 20 yards in the air.
It was a grimly humorous moment, Mohammad Rizwan whipping off the bails as Stokes turned to see his GM blade disappearing towards square leg, and capped a chastening conclusion as the hosts levelled the series 1-1.
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In the process, Pakistan ended their six-game losing streak, recorded their first win on home soil since February 2021 and set up a decider in Rawalpindi next week.
England had harboured hopes of producing one of their trademark turnarounds but were unable to contain Noman, who claimed stunning figures of eight for 46 as he and Sajid Khan completed the rare feat of sharing all 20 wickets in a match.
Only six other duos have ever done that in Test cricket, with Australians Dennis Lillee and Bob Massie the last to do so at Lord’s in 1972. The last spinners to do so were England’s Jim Laker and Tony Lock in 1956.