ICT tour manager Gary is with our intrepid travellers in Pakistan. Here is his account of the home side’s series win…
We left Multan after breakfast for the long journey ahead to Islamabad.
After travelling for nearly three hours, we encountered a puncture. Some of you may remember the last time I was here two years ago, we were travelling to the airport and encountered the same problem, and after about eight guys assessing the damage, to replace the tyre then took 40 minutes or so and two cross-threaded bolts for good measure. The price then was the equivalent to £2.83; a coffee was £3.20!
This time the process took less than 30 minutes by our very competent driver.
Incredible sights
After our first night in the hotel we left on our first sightseeing visit, taking in the Shakarparian National Park, the Faisal Mosque, and then to Taxila to see archaeological sites and museum.
The following day we drove to Murree, which was mostly built by the British. It is twinned with Shimla, probably because of the British connection, although Shimla is much prettier. Both are built on the sides of mountains.
In the way back we went to Buddha caves believed to be 2,400 years old, which was probably the highlight of the day.
So, on to the decider.
England’s failures
We arrived at the ground knowing the toss would be so important, the wicket had more rollers and heaters on it than Ena Sharples’ hair! And for good measure, it had been raked a few times!
Ben Stokes broke his theme of always calling tails, called heads and promptly won the toss.
The England captain days one and two looked good to bat on but, at 118/6, that certainly didn’t appear to be the case. If it hadn’t been for a brilliant 91 from Jamie Smith, things could have been incredibly bleak. Instead, England were bowled out for 267.
With the ball, England’s young inexperienced spinners – Shoaib Bashir and Rehan Ahmed – were not as effective as might have been hoped.
Pakistan started their innings very patiently, and England had to work hard for their wickets. Contrastingly, England gave theirs away with poor shot selection and poor defence. At lunch on day two, though, there was hope. Three three quick wickets put England in a better position.
Super Shakeel
After lunch the brilliant Shakeel scored 134, just by playing the (plentiful) gaps and putting the bad ball away, to take the game away from England. The hosts were finally all out for 344.
England appeared to have given up all hope, and in their second innings were bundled out for 112. Pakistan quickly scored the 36 runs needed to win the game and the series 2-1.
I don’t know what the management are thinking, but surely you have to think about the series in front of you. Selection may have been an issue – there was a massive case for Liam Dawson to be part of this tour – but it all could have been so different if they played each ball on its merit and not be compelled to attack or sweep every delivery.
So we were left with two days to fill. Perfect. More sightseeing.
Once again, Pakistan has delivered. It’s my second trip here and again it’s been a wonderful experience; the people are friendly and very welcoming, it’s just amazing being here and witnessing a different culture and way of life.
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