After 1768 runs and 37 wickets, it all came down to captain Ben Stokes' courageous move on Day 4 that reaped rewards on the final day as England defeated Pakistan by 74 runs in the 1st Test in Rawalpindi on Monday.
1st Test victory for the Three Lions in Pakistan since 2000 helped them go 1-0 up in the three-match series.
It was the intent and courage from the Three Lions that forced a result on the most benign of pitches, where 500 runs were scored on the first day itself.
Also read: Shane Warne elevated to Legend status in the Sport Australia Hall of Fame
The Rawalpindi pitch was a nightmare for the bowlers as only 17 wickets fell in the first three days of the Test match.
But on the final day, England managed to snuffle out 8 Pakistani batters. Chasing 343, it though seemed that the hosts would cross the finish line by the end of the day as runs were coming easily in the first two sessions on Day 5.
However, the game changed dramatically in the final session as England took the remaining 5 wickets, including those of well-set Azhar Ali and Salman Agha early. Pakistan did stage a fightback but Englishmen kept coming hard and finally, Jack Leach ended the resilience of tailenders by getting the final wicket of Nassem Shah.
Interestingly, the Pindi test is now the highest-scoring Test ever to produce a result and also the only game with two 550-plus first innings total.