Ben Stokes reiterated his England side have little interest in drawing games after a dramatic denouement saw them claim a 74-run victory over Pakistan in the pair's first Test.
In the tourists' first red-ball visit to the country since 2005, an aggressive performance with bat and ball paid off as Jack Leach beat the dying light on the final day to dismiss Naseem Shah.
Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum's tactical approach on a flat surface yielded a Test match with the third-highest aggregate number of runs in history, and an early declaration that set up a thrilling final day.
James Anderson and Ollie Robinson struck in a rip-roaring passage after tea to check the ultimate momentum of any Pakistan chase, and Stokes acknowledged vindication for his game-plan in the aftermath.
"We've no interest in drawing," he stated. "On pitches like this, you have to make things happen, [you have to] make some bold decisions. We had to entice the batters to play a shot at times.
"I think it's maybe up there with England's greatest away wins. The toil everyone has put in is hitting. We've done something very special this week.
England had not won in red-ball cricket in Pakistan since a famed win in Karachi in 2000, and there were similarities to its sundown finale as England raced to snag their final wickets before the light was gone in Rawalpindi.
It is a feat made all the more impressive by how the tourists pulled together after a virus outbreak in the build-up left questions over whether the Test would actually proceed as intended.
"There's a few things you can plan for, which is the way we want to approach Test cricket," Stokes added. "But what you can't plan for is what happened to the squad a few days before. That seems a long time ago.
"I want to give our group of players a lot of credit for coming here and turning up, a little bit under the weather. Will Jacks got the nod to make his debut about three minutes before team-time,
"You can go through this whole Test match and pick out key individuals. I think with what we've had to deal with coming into this Test match makes this win feel a little bit better."
Opposite number Babar Azam was left to rue missed opportunities for his side, Pakistan having entered the final session needing only 86 to win with five wickets in hand after tea.
"We were not up to the mark," he added, "We had a golden chance to win this Test, but session by session we lost wickets. All credit to our bowlers, it was difficult.
"We had our opportunity but we couldn't get partnerships in the end. We have a lot of positives, so we will try to continue that in the next match."
UWI, Mona principal launches biography on cricket legend Sir Richie Richardson
In an extraordinary moment celebrating one of the Caribbean’s cricketing greats, Pro Vice-Chancellor and Principal of The University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona, Professor Densil A. Williams, bridged academia with sports history, launching his much-anticipated biography of former West Indies captain, Sir Richard Benjamin “Richie” Richardson. The book was unveiled in Antigua at Casa Palmadita, Fitches Creek, marking a significant tribute to the living legend whose contributions on and off the pitch continue to resonate throughout the Caribbean.
As the author of Richie Richardson, the latest installment in UWI Press’ Caribbean Biography Series, Professor Williams embraced the challenge of telling the personal and professional story of the former West Indies captain. Known for his meticulous research in international business, Professor Williams applied the same dedication to documenting the cricketing icon’s professional and personal journey.
The book was officially launched by Sir Rodney Williams, Governor General of Antigua and Barbuda. Sir Rodney described Williams as an outstanding academic and praised him for his academic excellence and for the meticulous way in which he captured the work and life of Sir Richie Richardson. The launch event also included remark from Hon Daryll Matthew, Minister of Education, Sport and Creative Industries, Antigua and Barbuda.
A wide cross-section of persons from business, government, academic and the public service attended the launch event.
The book, as part of the Caribbean Biography Series, aims to immortalize one of the region’s significant sporting figures, Sir Richard Benjamin Richardson. It traces his beginnings as a humble school boy in the Five Islands Village in Antigua and Barbuda where the 5th Campus of The UWI is now located, to his major accomplishments as a global sports superstar, an accomplished business man, a husband, father and grandfather, to being an ambassador for his country, Antigua and Barbuda. The book is a must-read for cricket enthusiasts as it provides a gripping account of Richie’s time as player and captain of the West Indies team.
The book Richie Richardson by Densil A. Williams is now available at www.uwipress.com, inviting readers worldwide to explore the life and legacy of one of the Caribbean's most cherished cricketing heroes.
Reddy and Singh seal T20I series win against Bangladesh
Rinku Singh's explosive half-century and Nitish Kumar Reddy's maiden 50 helped India to an 83-run victory in their second match of their T20I series against Bangladesh.
Singh reached 50 runs in just 26 deliveries before being bowled out by Taskin Ahmed, with India making light of the tourists' batting order to claim an unassailable advantage.
India started poorly during the Powerplay, losing Sanju Samson (10), Abhishek Sharma (15) and Suryakumar Yadav (eight) inside the opening six overs.
However, a 108-run stand from Reddy (74) and Singh (53) steadied the ship, before the former was bowled out by Mustafizur Rahman (2-36).
Hardik Pandya's 32 runs helped India battle through the closing stages as they ended their innings 221-9, handing the tourists an uphill task to seal an unlikely victory.
And Bangladesh replicated the hosts' poor start with the bat, with their run chase seeing Parvez Hossain Emon (16), Najmul Hossain Shanto (11) and Litton Das (14) fall early.
Mahmudullah's knock of 41 proved in vain as the wickets continued to tumble around him, with Bangladesh ending 135-9 and hoping to avoid a series whitewash in the final match on Saturday.
Data Debrief: Reddy takes centre stage
At the age of 21 years and 136 days, Reddy is the fourth-youngest player to hit a maiden T20I half-century for India.
Current Indian skipper for Tests and ODIs, Rohit Sharma, was the youngest to hit a maiden T20I 50 for India at the age of 20 years and 143 days against South Africa in 2007.
In only his second T20I, Reddy scored a brilliant 74 in just 34 balls, with four boundaries and seven sixes. His runs came at a strike rate of 217.65.
Root targets 'many more runs' as Cook backs England great to set all-time record
Joe Root is targeting "many more runs" after overtaking Alastair Cook as England's all-time leading Test run-scorer.
The 33-year-old surpassed Cook's previous high of 12,472 on day three of the first Test against Pakistan on Wednesday.
Root reached the mark by piling on 71 runs in the blistering Multan heat and reached 176 not out at the end of play with England 492-3.
"I'm obviously proud but still feel there is plenty more left to do, and many more runs left to get," Root is quoted as saying by BBC Sport.
"More than anything, the way we played as a team is what stands out - we've got ourselves back in a really good position."
Root's 12,578 runs consist of 35 centuries, 1,355 fours and 44 sixes, coming across 146 matches.
He is now fifth on the all-time list of run-scorers across all nations, with only Rahul Dravid (13,288), Jacques Kallis (13,289), Ricky Ponting (13,378) and Sachin Tendulkar (15,921) ahead of him.
And with time still on his side age-wise, Cook has backed the man who took his England record to overtake each of those legendary names.
"I would be betting on Root to do it," Cook told Test Match Special. "I don't see Root losing that hunger and ability to keep driving himself forward for the next couple of years.
"He's just this consistent run-scoring machine. There are other geniuses who can play genius innings, but Root is a genius with consistency."
England have never conceded as many as Pakistan's 556 and gone on to take a first-innings lead, but they trail by just 64 runs heading into day four.
"We've still got an opportunity to win the game, which is really exciting," Root added. "Hopefully we can kick on tomorrow."
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