"Struggled to meet Pakistan's challenges", Ben stokes reflects on England's Test series defeat

England’s hopes of clinching a Test series victory in Pakistan came crashing down as they suffered a nine-wicket defeat in the third and final Test on Saturday, marking their first series loss to Pakistan since 2015. Despite opening the series with a commanding win by an innings and 47 runs, England’s momentum faltered, leading to losses in the last two Tests and ultimately conceding the series 1-2.

Reflecting on the defeat, England captain Ben Stokes admitted his side struggled to meet the challenges posed by Pakistan.

“Disappointing, losing games and losing series’. We weren’t able to match the challenges in the last two games, credit to Pakistan. Moving forward, we’ll look to match those challenges as we come up against them,” said Stokes in the post-match presentation.

In the third Test, England’s decision to bat first backfired as they managed only 267 runs in the first innings. Pakistan responded with resilience, led by Saud Shakeel’s brilliant 134, enabling the hosts to post 344 and gain a vital 77-run lead.

Pakistan’s spinners Noman and Sajid then took control, dismantling England’s second innings for just 112 runs. The duo combined for all ten wickets in the innings, with Noman and Sajid accounting for nine of England’s wickets in the first innings as well. Across the last two Tests, the pair claimed an astounding 39 out of 40 wickets, showcasing Pakistan’s spin dominance.

England, now ranked sixth in the World Test Championship standings, will look to regroup as they prepare for an away series in New Zealand, scheduled from November 28 to December 18.

Reflecting on the challenges, Stokes said, “Couple of weeks time, we’ll be up against New Zealand. The summer finished late; the lads worked really hard but when you get out there in the middle it’s all really different. All you can do is work hard. Whether you do well or not, you always try and take the positives out.

“Regardless of the result, there have been some unbelievable individual performances so there is certainly a lot to take out. You take that aspect and that look on it, Rehan and Bashir coming here to play cricket in front of family—it’s something massive for them. They’re two incredible cricketers who’re just starting their careers, so it’s massive for them,” he concluded.