England 354 (Brook 111, Foakes 64, Pope 51, Nauman 4-126, Abrar 4-150) and 170 for 2 (Duckett 82*) beat Pakistan 304 (Babar 78, Salman 56, Leach 4-140) and 216 (Babar 54, Shakeel 53, Rehan 5-48) by eight wickets
England needed 38 minutes to complete a resounding eight-wicket win on the fourth morning in Karachi, eventually gunning down their last-innings target of 167 in 28.1 overs. Ben Duckett slapped Mohammad Wasim for the winning boundary to seal a 3-0 series victory, the first time Pakistan has been whitewashed in a series that took place on home soil.
With 55 more runs needed after a chaotic attempt to seal the third Test inside three days, England was slightly more restrained on the fourth morning but still took only 11.1 overs to clinch the clean sweep. Duckett finished 82 not out, becoming the second-highest run-scorer in the series in the process, with captain Ben Stokes unbeaten on 35 at the other end.
This was England's ninth win in 10 Tests since Stokes and Brendon McCullum took over as captain and coach respectively, a remarkable turnaround after a run of one win in 17 before their appointments. They swept underperforming Pakistan in their first domestic test series since 2005. Pakistan faces a brief comeback before facing New Zealand on Boxing Day.
Asked during the presentation what he thought of the series, Stokes said simply:
"Complete." he later added.
"Whether it's the racket or the ball, we've coordinated very well. The confidence each individual has in themselves and the people around them is incredible.
"We knew what cricket meant for Pakistan and we knew what our being here meant for Pakistan. Our support has been incredible. I felt that cricket played was just celebrated. We came here to win, but we also came to play an exciting type of cricket and show people. It was very special to go to the reception."
England took victory on the final day of the series in front of another sparse crowd at the National Stadium. Stokes set the tone by muscling his third ball seen through the mid-wicket and Duckett continued to sweep generously from his Ahmed Abrar, a very impressive comeback form in the development of his series. Swept backward and swept with the paddle while maintaining the. Stokes' attention soon turned to an opportunity to strip McCallum of his place as the all-time leading six-hitter in Test history, and he was dropped by a wide margin to Salman Ali Agha when he attempted to hit his 108th six-hitter in the Test. career. He made his second attempt, slog-swept the side of his leg, and slammed his Abrar into the ground, but missed.
This allowed Duckett to cut Wasim from the even-point spot and put his arm in the air as the ball ran down the boundary to his ropes where he ran 4–1. England had only won two Tests in Pakistan before this tour, but after a long absence, on his return home, he achieved three straight wins.
With stumps in hand, Azhar Ali was met with tearful applause from the field after making the final appearance of his long and distinguished international career in Pakistan. He retired from Test cricket with 7097 runs at 42.49, including 1900, from 97 caps.
Harry Brook was his top scorer on the Tour with a score of 468 in five innings, and Test after he batted 300 in his second, third, and fourth appearances as a cricketer. , was named Player of the Series. "He set Pakistan on fire," Stokes said.
The third Test began on his 3rd afternoon, with Stokes belatedly throwing England's 18-year-old debutant Rehan his Ahmed into the attack, while Pakistani midfielder he ordered and bottomed his order. immediately torn up. He took 48 for 5, becoming the youngest in Test history to hit five-wicket pulls on his debut and set up a regular hunt.
It was his first win for England without a bowler in 15 years, as Stuart Broad went on maternity leave and James Anderson was sidelined. The last such win was in June 2007 when Michael Vaughan led them to victory over the West Indies.
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