Pakistan’s Mohammad Ali refuses to shake hands with Ben Stokes after losing Multan Test
Ben Stokes, the captain of England, approached Mohammad Ali to shake his hand before the DRS had been called and the third umpire had finished his procedure. The No. 11 batter for Pakistan, though, resisted doing so.
In the second Test, England defeated Pakistan by 26 runs to take a commanding 2-0 lead in the three-match series. Mark Wood claimed four wickets in the victory. Pakistan, who needed 355 to win, put up a valiant effort but was bowled out for 328, their third straight home Test defeat after falling to Australia earlier this year.
With a fighting 80-run partnership between Saud Shakeel and Imam-Ul-Haq and Pakistan starting the day at 198/4, things appeared to be going well. However, once both batters were dismissed in quick succession, it was always going to be difficult.
But even as the DRS was being taken and the third umpire was going through the process, Stokes prematurely walked up to Ali to shake hands with him. However, the Pakistan No. 11 batter refused to do so.
He mouthed a few words to Stokes, probably reminding him that the decision was yet to pop up on the big screen, after which the England captain backed off. Once it was signalled though, the customary handshakes ensued, with Ali congratulating Stokes and England on their victory.
England conquer Pakistan with one match to spare
The Multan pitch was very different from the Rawalpindi one, which was a run-fest with lots of scoring for both teams. Pakistan had a fantastic opportunity to grab the lead and expand on it after bowling England out for 281 points. However, they were dismissed for just 202 runs, with Jack Leach taking four wickets, and later paid the price.
Babar Azam, the captain of Pakistan, bemoaned his team’s batting display in the opening innings, which ultimately proved to be the deciding factor between the two teams. “We didn’t perform up to par in the first innings. There were a few gentle firings, but they fell far short of the mark. In the second inning, we rallied with the bat and ball, but it was insufficient.
Although there were a few strong partnerships, our performance as a batting team ultimately fell short. Abrar had a fantastic beginning and made good advantage of the circumstances. We shall do our best, he said, adding that he was looking forward to the Karachi Test.
