England cruise towards test history as Ahmed destroys Pakistan

Rehan Ahmed, aged simply 18, took 5 wickets and left England getting ready to historic victory.

England's Rehan Ahmed is congratulated by his teammates after taking one other wicket [Akhtar Soomro/Reuters]

No cricket staff has ever overwhelmed Pakistan 3-0 in a Take a look at collection in Pakistan, however England seem getting ready to historical past.

Rehan Ahmed, England’s 18-year-old leg-spinning bowler making his first Take a look at match look, took a sensational 5 wickets in Karachi on Monday to go away England on the verge of victory.

Ahmed turned the youngest man ever to play a Take a look at for England on Saturday, aged simply 18 years and 126 days.

On Monday, the third day of the third and ultimate match of the collection, Ahmed turned the youngest debutant to take 5 check wickets, permitting Pakistan to attain simply 48 runs in trade. Pakistan have been all out for 216, giving England a really achievable 167-run goal, with 75 minutes and two days nonetheless to play.

English openers Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett plundered 87 by the twelfth over earlier than Pakistan spin bowler Abrar Ahmed dismissed Crawley for 41 and Rehan Ahmed for 10.

Duckett was unbeaten on 50 and skipper Ben Stokes on 10 as England ended the day having scored 112-2 and needing simply 55 runs to inflict a first-ever 3-0 collection whitewash on Pakistan on their dwelling soil.

England, on their first Take a look at tour of Pakistan in 17 years, received the primary match in Rawalpindi by 74 runs, and the second, in Multan, by 26.

Rehan Ahmed bowled out 5 Pakistani batters, however was himself bowled for 10 runs [Akhtar Soomro/Reuters]

Pakistan fell prey to a spin-assisting Nationwide Stadium pitch, dropping their final seven wickets for a mere 52 runs, with skipper Babar Azam scoring 54 and Saud Shakeel 53.

Rehan Ahmed stated he felt nice after his efficiency.

“I don’t suppose it has sunk in but, however sure I'm very grateful,” he stated, admitting that getting Azam out was a particular second, regardless of it being a poor ball.

“I bowled higher balls and never bought wickets, so to get a wicket is good, particularly when it's Babar.”

Rehan Ahmed constructed on fellow spinner Jack Leach’s three wickets off simply six balls within the morning session by taking his first three off simply 17.

He left Australian quick bowler Pat Cummins behind who, at 18 years 193 days previous, took 5 wickets in his debut Take a look at in opposition to South Africa at Johannesburg in 2011.

Surprisingly, Ahmed had not bowled within the first session, which noticed Pakistan attain 99-3.

Azhar’s final stand

Ahmed got here on after Azam and Shakeel had placed on a valiant rebuilding effort via a fourth-wicket stand of 110 runs.

The pair took Pakistan to 164 earlier than the skipper made an uncharacteristic misjudgement, quickly after he reached 1,000 check runs for the yr.

Leach had Pakistan reeling after he knocked over openers Shan Masood and Abdullah Shafique and veteran Azhar Ali, showing in his final match, with just one run added.

Ahmed oversaw an equally brutal passage of play, eradicating Azam, Mohammad Rizwan (7) and Shakeel within the house of six overs for the addition of a paltry 13 runs.

Mohammad Wasim (two) and Agha Salman (21) additionally fell to Ahmed.

Shakeel admitted his facet had made key errors of their innings.

“We dedicated errors, particularly Babar and I performed free pictures and that brought on a collapse … which it was powerful to beat,” he stated.

Pakistan began the fourth day on practically even footing, with openers Shafique and Masood trying set and erasing England’s 50-run lead with out the lack of a wicket.

However any optimism was snatched away by England’s methodical spinners.

Leach bowled Shan – trying an ill-advised reverse sweep – for twenty-four, the dismissal sparking the primary cluster of wickets.

High-order stalwart Azhar Ali was denied a fairytale ending to a storied profession that has spanned 97 Checks and seven,142 runs.

Azhar was overwhelmed by spin as he performed a ahead push on the ultimate ball of Leach’s momentum-changing double-wicket maiden. His stumps shattered, Azhar walked off the sphere for the final time, ending 12 years as a first-team common.

The England gamers clapped as Azhar trudged again to the dressing room, whereas Pakistan’s gamers raised their bats on the boundary for a ceremonial guard of honour.