England Test captain Ben Stokes confirmed that the decision to declare the innings at tea on Day 4 was not made on the spur of the moment.
The all-rounder argued that the plan was always to try to force a result.
Ben Stokes on the win against Pakistan
Ben Stokes and his dedication to unrelenting optimism were fully vindicated as England pulled off one of their most amazing victories in a Test away from home. The drama was at a fever pitch for everyone in the stadium as every England fielder gathered around the bat as Jack Leach spun away, vying for the last wicket. And when he eventually got one into Naseem Shah’s pad and not only got the lbw ruling but also the review to back it up, England was in ecstasy.
Many questioned Ben Stokes’ choice to declare with only a 343-run lead and four more sessions on a placid track. With a handful of early wickets, the bowlers replied strongly, leaving the match in the balance going into the fifth day.
Despite losing Imam-ul-Haq’s wicket just a few overs into the first session, Pakistan’s momentum changed in their favor. With the help of a strong partnership between Saud Shakeel and Mohammad Rizwan, the hosts were able to get themselves to 176-3 when things started to go south.
Ben Stokes said after the victory that the batters in the middle had received the message regarding the relatively early declaration.
“The declaration was never in doubt. We had half an hour before the tea break I think, and we just sent a message out to put the foot down now because we are going to declare at tea. There was no second guessing ourselves on that one because we want people viewing Test match cricket, we don’t want to be something where people might just, you know turn the TV off because it might be a draw. You just got to think of ways to keep bringing people to watch Test cricket. The crowd here this week was amazing,” he said.
The England pacers returned to the fray as the old ball started to reverse swing. Ollie Robinson, James Anderson, and Ben Stokes all had to alternate spells in order to produce the final few wickets. The Men in Green fell apart in the fourth session, going from 257-5 to 268 all out.
Stokes expressed his pride in the team, especially considering that the players were first thought not to have arrived on time owing to illness.
“Immensely proud of the team. Obviously, to force a result on this wicket, I think is very special but then you go back to before a ball was even bowled, with the illness that ran through the camp. I could go on and on about everyone in the squad because everyone has been absolutely incredible this week, everyone plays for each other, and no one leaves anything out in the field and that is the kind of attitude and mentality that you need out here,” he added.
