England Skipper Ben Stokes Blames Poor Pitch for Multan Test Defeat
Author: Vishnu Reddy
Updated At:
England skipper Ben Stokes blasted on the Multan pitch after losing the second Test match by 152 runs against Pakistan. The series is now levelled 1-1, with one Test to go. After an embarrassing loss in the first Test, the home team played the second Test on the same pitch which resulted in a rank turner.
England started the chase on the fourth day and succumbed quickly. The Three Lions failed to read the spin as all 20 wickets went to Pakistan’s two prime spinners, Nauman Ali and Sajid Khan. Nauman bagged eight wickets in the second innings to complete his 10-wicket haul. Meanwhile, Player of the match, Sajid Khan bagged two in the second innings to complete a 9-wicket haul in the game.
Ben Stokes was not a happy captain after the loss and blamed the pitch for the team's downfall. Notably, Multan’s pitch faced a lot of criticism after the first game where England posted 823. The flat track in the opening Test became a batting paradise where Brook scored the second-fastest triple century and Pakistan lost the Test despite scoring 556 in the first innings.
You felt like there was probably one ball with your name on it - Stokes
The England captain was speaking to Sky Sports after the end of the game. He said, "It was going to be a massive task for us because of how much was going on out of the wicket. But we knew that chasing a total down, we had to go out there with a method as individuals and as a batting unit.”
He added, "Look at the guys who had success in this Test match, it was the guys who looked to put spin under pressure by basically getting your broom out. A lot of sweeps, reverse sweeps because that just negates the spin.”
Stokes talked about the pitch and said, "It was incredibly tough conditions to just try and keep it out. You felt like there was probably one ball with your name on it. I was at slip when we were bowling and as soon as batters looked to defend, you felt massively in the game.
"For us, it was about chasing that total down, not eking it out because, again, everyone who had success from our side and Pakistan's was looking to sweep and put the spinners under pressure."
The England captain feels that it was the surface where 200 would have been a tough total. He said, "We felt like we were still in the game when we came to chase that down. You have to give credit to Pakistan with the way in which they put a good score on the board. Then when you're ahead of the game as Pakistan were at the start of the second innings, you can really start to put your foot down. Anything, 200 would have been a tough ask on that. With the series leveled at 1-1 expected the betting odds offered by the best cricket betting sites to be highly competitve.
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