England vs Pakistan: Noman Ali and Sajid Khan secure the hosts' 2-1 series win

On the third day of the final Test in Rawalpindi, England suffered a weak defeat before lunch, handing a resurgent Pakistan a 2-1 series win.

The number of tourists was again dissected by Noman Ali and Sajid Khan and rose to a total of 112, the lowest number ever in Pakistan.

With the score at 24-3 overnight, Harry Brook and Joe Root started with confidence, but Brook's lead over Noman sparked an England capitulation of seven wickets for 46 runs.

Particularly ugly were the thoughts of Ben Stokes, who didn't play a shot and was lbw to Noman, followed by Jamie Smith's wild attack on Sajid. Root's 33rd-minute exit against Noman ended England's slim hopes.

The introduction of Noman and Sajid after Pakistan lost the first Test changed the character of the series and they once again shared all ten wickets. Left-back Noman finished with 6:42 and Sajid with 4:69.

That left Pakistan with just a target of 36, a nine-wicket victory that secured their first home series win in almost four years. The turnaround justified a change in strategy towards dry pitches and unleashed the brilliance of Sajid and Noman.

For England there was no repeat of their series win two years ago. Instead, a third Test defeat in four games and seventh overall in 2024 sealed just a second series defeat under Stokes' captaincy.

There is a brief turnaround to their next Test series in New Zealand at the end of November, while an almost completely different side begins a white-ball series in the West Indies next week.