MULTAN: Sajid Khan and Noman Ali are as different as chalk and cheese but they gelled perfectly as they tore through England’s batting to give Pakistan a long-awaited Test win.
The spin pair took all 20 wickets on a worn, turning, Multan track for a 152-run win to set up a third Test winner-takes-all showdown at Rawalpindi starting on Thursday.
Left-armer Noman, 38, is the senior partner of a pair who have played together in eight Tests.
“We bowled with a lot of confidence and his energy is always very high,” Noman told AFP about his partner, off-spinner Sajid.
“Our plan was to keep it simple. We knew the England batsman would attack, so we were not distracted and kept it simple,” he said in written comments to AFP.
“This feat will go a long way in establishing our pairing. To get 20 wickets between us is an honor and it happens very rarely.”
The win is Pakistan’s first at home since they beat South Africa in Rawalpindi three years and eight months ago.
Noman took a career best 8-46 as England were 144 all out chasing 297 to win.
But it was Sajid who set the platform with 7-111 in the first innings to give Pakistan a crucial 75-run lead.
Noman finished with match figures of 11-147 and Sajid 9-204.
They became the seventh pair of bowlers to take all 20 wickets in a Test, and the first since Australia’s Dennis Lillee and Bob Massie against England in 1972.
Sajid cuts a dashing figure on the field, frequently twiddling his immaculately groomed moustache and celebrating a wicket with an exuberant thigh slap that has become his signature.
“I followed my father in keeping a moustache,” Sajid told AFP of his late father, who had served in the military.
“(Former Australia batsman) David Warner once said he was frightened of my moustache,” he added.
Former Pakistan left-arm spinner Iqbal Qasim believes that Noman and Sajid complement each other perfectly.
“Spin gives us the winning formula which we were not using,” said Qasim who took 171 wickets in 50 Tests for Pakistan.
“Noman and Sajid have matured with experience and can continue to give home wins like this.”
It is too early to compare the pair to India’s spin duo of Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja who jointly have over 800 wickets.
Thirty-seven years ago, Qasim partnered Tauseef Ahmed for 18 wickets as Pakistan won in Bangalore for a first series win over arch-rivals India.
Off-spinner Ahmed, who took 93 wickets for Pakistan, said the pair had “bowled extraordinarily” well in the win over England, after Pakistan’s new selection committee decided to pick only one seam bowler.
“The previous set-up did not have belief in spinners and that’s why we were not using our home advantage,” said Ahmed
The series finale starts in Rawalpindi on Thursday.
Sajid, Noman ‘keep it simple’ for perfect mix to put England in spin
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Sajid, Noman ‘keep it simple’ for perfect mix to put England in spin
- The spin pair took all 20 wickets on a worn, turning, Multan track for a 152-run win to set up a third Test winner-takes-all showdown
- The victory against England was Pakistan’s first at home since they beat South Africa in Rawalpindi three years and eight months ago
Pakistan, ADB sign $730 loan agreements to boost SOE reforms, energy infrastructure
- Both sign $330 million Power Transmission Strengthening Project and $400 million SOE Transformation Program loan agreements
- Economic Affairs Division official says Transmission Project will secure Pakistan’s energy future by strengthening national grid’s backbone
KARACHI: Pakistan and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) on Thursday signed two loan agreements totaling $730 million to boost reforms in state-owned enterprises (SOEs) and energy infrastructure in the country, the bank said.
The first of the two agreements pertains to the SOE Transformation Program worth $400 million while the second loan, worth $330 million, is for a Power Transmission Strengthening Project, the lender said.
The agreements were signed by ADB Country Director for Pakistan Emma Fan and Pakistan’s Secretary of Economic Affairs Division Humair Karim.
“The agreements demonstrate ADB’s enduring commitment to supporting sustainable and inclusive economic growth in Pakistan,” the ADB said.
Pakistan’s SOEs have incurred losses worth billions of dollars over the years due to financial mismanagement and corruption. These entities, including the country’s national airline Pakistan International Airlines, which was sold to a private group this week, have relied on subsequent government bailouts over the years to operate.
The ADB approved the $400 million loan for SOE reforms on Dec. 12. It said the program seeks to improve governance and optimize the performance of Pakistan’s commercial SOEs.
Karim highlighted that the Power Transmission Strengthening Project will enable reliable evacuation of 2,300 MW from Pakistan’s upcoming hydropower projects, relieve overloading of existing transmission lines and enhance resilience under contingency conditions, the Press Information Department (PID) said.
“The Secretary emphasized that both initiatives are transformative in nature as the Transmission Project will secure Pakistan’s energy future by strengthening the backbone of the national grid whereas the SOE Program will enhance transparency, efficiency and sustainability of state-owned enterprises nationwide,” the PID said.
The ADB has supported reforms by Pakistan to strengthen its public finance and social protection systems. It has also undertaken programs in the country to help with post-flood reconstruction, improve food security and social and human capital.
To date, ADB says it has committed 764 public sector loans, grants and technical assistance totaling $43.4 billion to Pakistan.
