Pakistan registered a 152-run win in the second Test match against England in Multan on Friday which ended their winless streak of 11 matches on home soil. With this win, Pakistan also levelled the series at 1-1. (More Cricket News)
But it all happened because of the two veteran spinners of Pakistan - Noman Ali and Sajid Khan. They took all 20 wickets combined in the match and kept the visitors at bay when they started chasing the 297-run target in the fourth innings.
The 38-year-old left-arm orthodox spinner from Sind, Noman Ali took 11 wickets in the match. He also played a 32-run knock while coming to bat at no. 10 in the first innings.
Ali's bowling figures of 8/46 in the second innings is his best and fourth best for a Pakistan spinner in Test cricket. His match figure of 11/147 in this match is third best Pakistan bowler against England in Tests. It was also the best bowling figures in a Test innings at Multan.
Sajid's 7/111 is the second-best bowling figure by any bowler in a Test inning at Multan.
It was only the seventh instance in a Test cricket match when two bowlers took all 20 wickets. Australia's M Noble and H Trumble were the first to achieve this historic feat in Test cricket in 1902 against England in Melbourne.
The last time two bowlers took all 20 wickets in a Test match was in 1972 at Lord's against England when Denis Lillee (4) and B Massie (16) took all the wickets. And now, 52 years later, it happened in Multan again.
It was worth noting that Noman Ali and Sajid Khan were added to the Pakistan playing XI for this Test match along with Zahid Mahmood. Pakistan used three specialist spinners and only one seam bowler (Aamer Jamal) on a pitch which was used again for the second Test match.
Noman Ali and Sajid Khan achieved another milestone during their heroic performance in Multan. They became the first pair of spinners to take a five-wicket haul in the same match after 37 years for Pakistan. It was only the seventh instance in Pakistan's cricket history.
