Pakistan cricket stars Shaheen Shah Afridi and Babar Azam were full of praise for the national team after their emphatic 152-run win over England in the 2nd Test in Multan on Friday, October 18. Both players, rested for the 2nd and 3rd Tests, took to social media to congratulate the team, with Shaheen particularly highlighting the stellar performances of spinners Noman Ali and Sajid Khan, who shared all 20 wickets between them.

Shaheen, who missed the series after being left out of the squad, commended Kamran Ghulam for scoring a debut century in place of Babar. He expressed his admiration for the team’s collective effort, writing on X (formerly Twitter): "Fantastic win at home! Congratulations to Pakistan. Noman Ali and Sajid Khan were exceptional, along with a dream debut for Kamran Ghulam and a massive contribution from Salman Ali Agha. Keep it going, Inshallah!"

Babar, too, was proud of the team’s achievement, posting: "Fantastic win. Proud of the effort and spirit."

Pakistan’s victory, led by stand-in captain Shan Masood, ended an 11-match home losing streak in Test cricket and marked their first win under Masood’s leadership.

The spin duo of Noman Ali and Sajid Khan dominated the match, with Sajid spearheading the attack in the first innings, taking 7 wickets, while Noman wrapped up the remaining three. On Day 4, Noman stole the spotlight, producing career-best figures of 8/46 to demolish England’s second innings. His spell marked the best performance by a Pakistan left-arm spinner in Test cricket.

The pair’s combined effort placed them in the record books, making them only the seventh bowling duo in Test history to take all 20 wickets in a match—a feat last accomplished by Australia’s Bob Massie and Dennis Lillee in 1972 at Lord’s.

Kamran Ghulam, meanwhile, made a dream debut, scoring a century to become the 13th Pakistan cricketer to achieve the feat on debut. At 29, he is the second-oldest Pakistan player to score a debut century in Tests, following Abid Ali’s achievement in 2019.