After eight months, England’s Jack Leach made his return to the Test side where stood a class apart from the rest of the bowlers in the hot and dry conditions in Multan where nothing much was on offer for the bowlers.
In a game where over 1500 runs were scored by the batter in three innings, Leach stood out from the rest of the bowlers to help England with a four-wicket haul on the final day’s play to seal the win by an innings and 47 runs to take a 1-0 series lead.
Eight months and a week ago, was the previous instance Leach played a Test match. This was during England’s tour of India where his knee got swollen after diving around on the field. While he was out of action, many thought that Tom Hartley who had a fine show in the Indian tour, was next in line but Leach has gone on to prove his skills arguably put him as England’s best spinner for the moment.
It was the Somerset-based spinner that delivered England the breakthrough of the Pakistan skipper Shan Masood who was on 153 to help turn the tides. He also got the big wicket of the in-form batter, Muhammad Rizwan who was Pakistan’s best batter in the recently concluded Bangladesh series and looked in good touch during training as well.
In the second innings, it was Leach that ran through the Pakistan middle-order on the final day where the others were not able to find the killer blow to throw Pakistan deep in the trenches.
The spotlight may have been on the likes of Joe Root and Harry Brook for their mammoth knocks in the first innings, but Leach once again finds himself to be that underrated hero for England as they aim to punish the hosts yet again.
With a seven-wicket match haul on a flat track in Multan, Leach will once again prove to be a vital asset in England’s second Test against Pakistan which will be played in the same venue once again.
The second Test between the two sides will begin on October 15.
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