The tussle between England and
Pakistan in Test cricket has always been an important battle to look forward
to. These teams have played 27 Test series to date, of which 11 have taken
place in Pakistan or the UAE. Today, we delve into history and examine these 11
tours of England to play Pakistan in away series.
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| Pakistan and England had huge number of draws and long list of controversies in Tests played in Pakistan |
England in Pakistan – 1961-62
England won their first-ever Test match played on
Pakistani soil during their inaugural visit to the country in 1961-62. A century
from Ken Barrington and an unfortunate 99 from Mike Smith, who was run out,
helped England close in on Pakistan’s total of 387-9 declared. England,
however, dismantled Pakistan’s second innings with their spin attack, bundling
them out for 200. Pakistan made England's life difficult in the chase of 208
before Tex Dexter and Bob Barber stitched a hundred-run partnership to ensure a
historic Test victory. With the other two Tests ending in draws, England won
the three-Test series 1-0.
England in Pakistan – 1968-69
This tour was marred by unrest in East Pakistan and
saw a mixed bag of cricket. In the first Test, England dominated but Pakistan
managed to draw, finishing at 203-5 while chasing 323. The second Test in Dacca
showcased the greatness of Basil D'Oliveira. As England stumbled to 130-7 in
response to Pakistan’s 246, it was D'Oliveira’s genius that saw England reach
274, taking a lead of 28 runs. Pakistan fought hard, finishing at 195-6 in 101
overs to escape defeat. England then batted for 20 overs, ending at 33-0. The
third Test saw only two days of play, with England scoring 502-7 before rain
interrupted on the third day, preventing further play. The tour ended with the
series score line at 0-0.
England in Pakistan – 1972-73
The three-Test series played in the spring of 1973
in Pakistan ended in a dull draw. The pitches in Lahore, Hyderabad, and Karachi
were too slow to provide any excitement. The first Test at Gaddafi Stadium,
Lahore, featured centuries from Denis Amiss and Sadiq Mohammad in the first
innings. The match concluded on the final day with Pakistan at 124-3, chasing a
target of 240. In the second Test, the batting from both sides was even slower;
after 477.2 overs, only 26 wickets were taken by the bowlers. Amiss scored
another century in what was another dull match. The third Test at the National
Stadium was only slightly more interesting; the first day saw 40 minutes of
play cut short due to fans setting fire to a stand, followed by three batsmen
getting out for 99, and England ending the Test with 30-1 while chasing 259 on
the final day.
England in Pakistan – 1977-78
England toured Pakistan in the winter of 1977-78,
during which Pakistan had begun to develop into a team of class players. Little
did people know that for the next 25 years (1978-2003), Pakistan cricket would
experience its golden era. The series was affected by the absence of players
involved in the Packer controversy, and tensions peaked before the third Test
when the Pakistan board decided to include Mushtaq Mohammad, Majid Khan, Zaheer
Abbas, and Imran Khan—players associated with Packer cricket. England’s
stand-in captain, Geoffrey Boycott, threatened to withdraw his team if these
players participated, as England had also decided not to include their Packer
players. This led to an emergency meeting between President Zia and Boycott,
ultimately saving the Test as none of the Packer players were picked. On the
field, the first Test ended in a draw, with nearly 80 minutes of play wasted
due to fan riots. The second and third Tests also ended in draws, resulting in
another 0-0 series scoreline.
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| Sarafraz Nawaz in 1977-78 series |
England in Pakistan – 1983-84
Finally, a Test between Pakistan and England
produced a result after 12 Tests, with only one yielding a result and 11 ending
in draws. The 13th Test was a thrilling encounter that transformed this tame
rivalry into a fierce contest in the coming decades. In a low-scoring thriller,
Pakistan slumped to 40-6 while chasing 66 runs to win. England appeared poised
for an improbable victory, but debutant 20-year-old Anil Dalpath kept his
nerves to seal a 3-wicket win for Pakistan, marking their first-ever home win
over England. In the second Test at Faisalabad, despite a spirited English
fightback and a brilliant 152 from David Gower, the match ended in a tame draw.
The third Test at Gaddafi Stadium was filled with drama. England could only
muster 241 in their first innings, and when Pakistan took a lead of 102,
England faced a challenging 189-5. However, a seven-hour epic 173* from David
Gower and a 119-run partnership for the sixth wicket took England to 344-9,
setting a target of 243 runs in 59 overs. Pakistan seemed set for the chase at
173/0 in 45 overs, with a smart opening partnership between Mohsin Khan and
Shoaib Mohammad, but then England took wickets in bunches, reducing Pakistan
from 173-0 to 26-6 before finishing at 199-6. Pakistan won the series 1-0 and
dominated England for the next 17 years.
England in Pakistan – 1987-88
This tour was one of the most controversial, where
cricket took a backseat and off-field incidents dominated the headlines. The
series was marred by the Shakoor Rana and Mike Gatting fiasco during the second
Test at Faisalabad, along with controversial umpiring decisions and a sense of
payback from the previous tour. Pakistan won the first Test by an innings and
47 runs, with Abdul Qadir taking 13 wickets. The second Test is still
remembered for a significant altercation between Gatting and umpire Shakoor
Rana, which escalated due to a misunderstanding regarding field placements.
Rana refused to take the field until Gatting apologized, wasting nearly 10
hours of play, which ultimately cost England a chance at victory and parity in
the series. The third Test ended in a tame draw, with Pakistan winning the
series 1-0.
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| 9th December 1987- 2nd Test Day 3- England players wait for the day's play to start as the altercation between Mike Gatting and Shakoor Rana had turned uglier with Rana refusing to take field |
England in Pakistan – 2000-01
England returned to Pakistan after 13 years to
secure one of their greatest victories in Karachi’s fading light. This win was
especially significant as Pakistan was a formidable Test team, and it marked
England's first-ever victory in the country after a 39-year wait. Notably, this
was the first time Pakistan lost a Test at Karachi’s National Stadium.
Following a controversial tour in 1987, England had not toured Pakistan in the
1990s, despite opportunities in 1992 and 1996. A lot had changed since 1987,
including the style of play and team personnel, but the nature of the pitches
remained slow and low, leading to the first two Tests ending in draws. The
final day of the series began with Pakistan at 71-3, and it appeared that
another series would end in a 0-0 draw. However, England's excellent bowling
led to Pakistan collapsing for just 158 runs. The batsmen, despite their
history of losses against Pakistan, decided to chase down the target, resulting
in a remarkable victory.
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| Graham Thorpe and Nasser Hussain - after England registered remarkable win at Karachi in 2000 |
England in Pakistan – 2005-06
A brilliant Pakistan team overwhelmed an England
side riding high after a successful Ashes series. The brilliance of
Inzamam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Yousuf, and the electrifying presence of Shoaib Akhtar
were central to this famous series win. Akhtar’s pace made a crucial
difference, particularly in Multan, where England looked favorites while
chasing a modest target of 198. Pakistan won the three-Test series 2-0.
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| Shoaib Akhtar was at his top in 2005-06 series |
England Tour of Pakistan – 2011-12 (UAE)
One of the finest moments in Pakistan's Test history
came when they triumphed over arguably the best English team in recent times.
The teams had their own battles, but it was Pakistan that capitalized on the
conditions and had the right players at the right time, cruising to a 3-0 win.
An example of their hunger was evident in the second Test, where they defended
a mere 144 runs and bundled England out for just 72. England fought hard, but
often fell short, as seen in the third Test, where they came close but finished
at 252 while chasing a target of 324. Pakistan’s superiority resulted in their
first clean sweep against England by a margin of 3-0.
England Tour of Pakistan – 2015-16 (UAE)
After coming tantalizingly close to victory,
England’s tour faded as the series progressed. Set 98 runs for victory, England
ended up with 73/4, falling just 25 runs short of a memorable win. Pakistan,
however, proved too hot to handle in the next two Tests, as their spinners
sliced through the English batting lineup, with Yasir Shah finishing the series
with 15 wickets.
England in Pakistan – 2022-23
In 2022, England visited Pakistan after a 17-year
gap, and much had changed in that time. Pakistan was no longer the team they
once were, while England was playing a new brand of cricket. Still, no one
anticipated that England would achieve what no other team had done before:
whitewashing Pakistan in their own country by 3-0. It was a series where
Pakistan was dominated and overwhelmed by England’s style of play. Despite the
outcome, this series may rank as one of the best in terms of spirit between the
two
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| England became the first team to clean sweep Pakistan in 3 Test series in Pakistan in 2022 |
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