England are set to host Pakistan in a three Test series with games scheduled to be held at Headingley, Lords and Edgbaston. There have been many epic encounters between these two nations since Pakistan made their first foray into Test cricket back in 1952.
To date England and Pakistan have played each other 92 times with England winning 30 and Pakistan 23.
There have been 39 draws. Let’s take a moment to look back through the archives as we remember five of the all-time best performances from games between these two rivals.
1. The magician of The Oval: Fazal Mahmood (1954)
In only their fourth Test match on English soil, a young Pakistani side achieved the unthinkable by defeating a powerhouse England team at The Oval. The architect of this legendary victory was medium-pacer Fazal Mahmood.
In a low-scoring game, on a damp, treacherous surface, Mahmood bamboozled the English batsmen with his deadly leg-cutters. He picked up phenomenal figures of 6/53 in the first innings and backed it up with an even better 6/46 in the second.
His match haul of 12 for 99 secured a historic 24-run victory, proving that Pakistan belonged on the world stage.
2. The golden arm and the double-ton at Lord’s (1982)
Pakistan had not tasted a Test victory in England for 28 long years until they arrived at Lord’s in the summer of 1982.
While Imran Khan marshalled the side as captain, it was opening batsman Mohsin Khan who laid a magnificent platform for his team by grinding out a masterful, eight-hour 200 in the first innings.
The defining drama, however, came on the final day. With two of Pakistan’s frontline seamers sidelined with injuries, part-time medium-pacer Mudassar Nazar stepped up to produce an unexpected spell that earned him the nickname “The Man with the Golden Arm.”
Nazar tore through the heart of England’s batting order to pick up career-best figures of 6 for 32. His gentle, pinpoint bowling triggered an extraordinary second-innings collapse, sealing a famous 10-wicket victory at the Home of Cricket.
Also read: Masterful milestones – the 7 highest Test scores against Australia down under since 2000
3. Wasim and Waqar’s reverse swing masterclass (1992)
The 1992 tour of England is remembered for introducing the mainstream cricketing world to the dark art of reverse swing. At Lord’s, the legendary duo of Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis were at their devastating best.
England had conceded a 38-run lead after the first innings were completed, but they were slowly going about building a useful lead as they reached 148 for five with Alec Stewart well set.
What followed was total carnage as Wasim and Waqar made the old ball talk, producing late, unplayable inswinging yorkers at extreme pace. They took the final five wickets for just 27 runs, bundling England out for 175.
On a deteriorating pitch, the England collapse and the small first innings lead meant Pakistan were just able to squeeze to victory with eight wickets down when they finally got the job done.
Wasim Akram who ended the game with six wickets was the man at the crease, undefeated on 45 when the game came to an end.
4. The Rawalpindi run-fest and Jack Leach’s heroics (2022)
In one of the most bizarre and thrilling Test matches ever played, England’s “Bazball” revolution met the flat tracks of Rawalpindi. England smashed a monumental 657 runs in their first innings at more than six runs an over.
However, the real masterpiece happened on day five. On a lifeless pitch, Ben Stokes made a daring declaration, leaving Pakistan to chase 343.
As the sun set rapidly on the final evening, spinner Jack Leach trapped Naseem Shah LBW with only minutes of light remaining, sealing a famous 74-run win in the dying gloom. In total there were seven centuries scored on a wicket that was a true batter’s paradise.
5. Multan’s historical triple-century: Harry Brook (2024)
History was rewritten in Multan during the 2024 tour. After Pakistan piled on a massive first-innings score of 556, England responded with an aggressive, record-breaking onslaught.
Middle-order dynamo Harry Brook played the innings of his life, blasting a sensational 317 off just 322 balls. Alongside Joe Root (who struck 262), Brook dismantled the Pakistani bowling attack to guide England to a mammoth 823/7 declared.
This incredible batting performance set up an unimaginable innings-and-47-run victory.
Read next: A tale of two timelines – Bangladesh’s golden dawn and Australia’s creaking sunset
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