England became the first test team to complete a 3-0 whitewash in Pakistan after they won the third and final match by eight wickets in Karachi on Tuesday. Having restricted Pakistan to 216 in the second innings England comfortably chased a target of 167 to add to their victories in Rawalpindi and Multan. Zak Crawley (41) and Ben Duckett (82 not out) made an 87-run opening partnership to give England a flying start before Abrar Ahmed trapped Crawley lbw.

England all-rounder Rehan Ahmed, promoted to number three, made 10 runs before the leg spinner lost his off-stump, but a 73-run partnership between captain Ben Stokes and Duckett sealed the win during the morning session of day four. England, on Pakistan’s first Test tour in 17 years, won the first Test in Rawalpindi by 74 runs and the second in Multan by 26 runs.

Crawley scored run-a-ball 41 with the help of seven fours, while Pakistan's Abrar Ahmed claimed two wickets for Pakistan in the second innings. Earlier, England were set a target of 167 runs to win the third and final Test after dismissing Pakistan for 216 in their second innings.

Teenage leg-spinner Rehan finished with 5-48 and Jack Leach with 3-72 as Pakistan lost their last seven wickets for 52 on a spin-assisted National Stadium pitch. At 18 years and 126 days, Rehan became the youngest bowler in men's Test history to take a five-wicket haul on debut. The leg-spinner beat the record held by Pat Cummins when he picked up his fifth wicket on day three of the Karachi Test.

Rehan became the 53rd England bowler to take a five-wicket haul on Test debut, a feat that Will Jacks had achieved earlier in the series. For Pakistan, skipper Babar Azam scored 54 and Saud Shakeel 53. Babar Azam became the first Pakistani in six years to score 1,000 Test runs in a calendar year and the fourth batter to reach the milestone in 2022 during the second innings.

He is the sixth Pakistani batter to reach 1,000 in a year, crossing the total when he reached 45 during an innings that ended on 54. Azam and Shakeel added 110 runs for the fourth wicket to put Pakistan in a decent position but the former's dismissal, when the score had reached 164, started a collapse with the home being bowled out for 216.

Pakistan lost their last seven wickets in the second innings while adding only 52 runs. It must be noted that England took full advantage of winning the toss and their batting depth to win the first Test by 74 runs on a dead wicket that offered nothing to the bowlers.

Rawalpindi yielded 1,768 runs in four innings — the third most in Test history — with seven individual centuries and five fifties. The Ben Stokes-led unit won the second Test in Multan by 26 runs after Pakistan failed to chase down a target of 355 runs. England were on their first Test tour of Pakistan since 2005, having declined to visit in the interim years on security grounds.

Credit : Independent News Pakistan-INP