Ben Stokes leads England to famous Test victory in Pakistan

The impressive victory is the seventh from eight Tests under Ben Stokes’ leadership. Credit: PA Media

Ben Stokes has helped England to complete a famous 74-run victory over Pakistan in a thrilling final session of the first Test in Rawalpindi, claiming one of England cricket’s greatest wins.

Pakistan were dismissed for 268 and Stokes became just the third England captain, after Ted Dexter in 1961 and Nasser Hussain in 2000, to win a Test match in Pakistan.

Stokes is from Cockermouth in Cumbria, and recently announced he would donate all his match fees from the Test series in Pakistan to the country's flood appeal.

Pakistan had been the favourites at tea on day five, having turned their overnight 80-2 into 257-5 and needing just a further 86 runs to take a 1-0 lead ahead of Friday's second Test in Multan.

Ollie Robinson (4-50) cracked the game open for England by removing batters Agha Salman (30) and Azhar Ali (40) - snapping a stand of 61 for the sixth wicket from 198-5.

Wicketkeeper Ollie Pope then took an impressive catch down the leg-side off James Anderson (4-36) to remove Zahid Mahmood (1).

The impressive victory is the seventh from eight Tests under Ben Stokes’ leadership.

Stokes said: “One thing we try and do is focus on ourselves, rather than the opposition. We know we are a very exciting team and it's a great batting surface, so it was a real opportunity for the batters.

"We have got some broken bodies after that. It's amazing to see the amount of enthusiasm and heart the lads showed. I don't think I have seen a group of players who have put their bodies on the lines this much.”

Pakistan captain Babar Azam said: "We start with the bowling, but we are not up to the mark. After that, we try to up our score in the first innings. I think in the second innings, we had a golden chance to win the match.

"We expected the declaration, and we had a plan. But I think we have an opportunity to win, but we lost wickets and didn't build partnerships."

Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know...