“This team deserves that (going to number one) for six years of no cricket at home, sometimes people think it’s easy – the UAE suits us, we win – but just living every day away from your country, without your family and friends, and playing every game away from Pakistan, is really hard”.
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Leg-spinner Shah then took three wickets for four runs in 22 balls as England, in their second innings, slumped to 88 for four at the close – still 126 runs behind.
Yasir Shah, whose haul of five for 71 speeded up England’s second-innings demise here, was one; Younis Khan’s magnificent double hundred that set up this game for Pakistan another.
Chasing just 40 to win, Pakistan won when Azhar Ali (30 not out) hit off-spinner Moeen Ali for six.
The victory was even more sweeter for Pakistani fans, considering that it came on Pakistan’s Independence Day.
In the fourth and final cricket Test at Oval, Pakistan secured a historic win by beating England with 10 wickets to square the four-match series 2-2 on Sunday.
But Moeen was caught behind shortly before lunch and Chris Woakes run out by bowler Wahab Riaz’s sharp pick-up and throw.
“I’m really proud of this team and if we became No.1 after these results, I think this team would really deserve that”. England who batted first were knocked out for 328, and the Asian side had got a marginal lead of twelve runs.
“We had lost five wickets when I went out to bat”.
Then there was a maiden wicket for debutant Iftikhar Ahmed, with his part-time off-spin, to end a last stand of 32 between numbers 10 and 11 when James Anderson was lbw sweeping.
Former Pakistan Test captain Ramiz Raja told Geo News that Pakistan were in a dominant position, with little chances of England coming back into the game.
“Credit to both sides who’ve played in brilliant spirit and long may that continue”. He began his day as he meant to go on, with a leg-side flick from his very first ball of the morning, as he advanced out of the crease to meet James Anderson, and tucked a respectable off-stump delivery through fine leg for four.
Earlier, Younis hit 218 in more than 7 1/2 hours, blasting 31 fours and four sixes before Pakistan were bowled out for 542 at tea after resuming on 340-6.
Sri Lanka’s win by 2-0 or 3-0, coupled with a 2-0 or 2-1 win for the West Indies against India will give Pakistan the number-one ranking for the first time since the official rankings were introduced in 2003.
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9456 Test runs: Younis has so far scored 9,456 runs in 108 Tests at a career average of 53.72. The last England Test century by a top-five batsman other than Cook and Joe Root was by Adam Lyth against New Zealand in May previous year.
