England came into the fourth and last Test match, at The Oval, 2-1 up. Here, they became 110-5 before their No.7 struck 108 to take them to 328. Of the three Pakistan fast bowlers, the only right-hander claimed 5-68.
In response, the Pakistan No.4 made 109 and the No.5 was ninth out or a colossal 218 – the highest score by a Pakistani in England since 1987 – to help them secure a massive 214-run lead. The only debutant of the Test match, a Pakistani whom the fans later associated with a “mania”, made only four.
The Pakistani leg-spinner then claimed 5-71 to bowl out the hosts for 253. It could have been even less, but England’s last two batters put on 32. Pakistan won by 10 wickets to level the series on their 69th Independence Day.
Till date, it remains the only time since 1992 they did not lose a series of four or more Test matches away from home. A month later, they won the ICC World Test Championship mace.
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