v Pakistan 579 all out (155.3 Overs)
England 264 for 7 declared (35.5 Overs)
Pakistan 268 all out (96.3 Overs)
England Win by 74 Runs
Monday 5 December 2022
Played at Rawalpindi
Amazing finish to the match. Pakistan will be pissed off. The crowds were streaming in around Tea. In the hope of a win. We had a sit down at Tea with a pen & paper. Pakistan were 257 for 5 off 77 overs, needing 86 more to win. Everyone had a different opinion. Mine was I thought they might have 22 Overs after Tea before the Light Meter Lottery. Call it four an over to win, plenty in hand.
So. I started the performing seal clapping of dot balls & maidens after Tea. Get me to the Draw.
Leach - Maiden.
Robinson - Maiden.
Leach - one off that.
Robinson - one off that and Agha Salman gone and the ball hits the stumps the next ball but the bails are glued on.
Leach - one off that
Robinson - Wicket Maiden. Azhar Ali gone.
The Dill Dill Pakistan lads in front of me are also replacing me. They are now cheering every dot as Pakistan now need to go for the draw. In the space of six overs it's gone from me needing the draw, to them needing the draw. Throughout that short, but crucial period, 257 for five to 260 for seven, Stokes be like;
"What fucking draw?"
264 for eight off 87.2. Maybe eleven left.
264 for nine off 87.4. Still fucking eleven left, obvs.
Two gone in that Anderson double wicket maiden.
Then. Superb. Mohammed Ali & Naseem Shah have taken it to 96 overs. Only three overs left by my reckoning. Leach pins Naseem. The review can't save him. Dill Dill England.
There's a dilemma for Pakistan hosting this series. They have to persuade England it's safe to tour. They do that with manpower. They do that with ironware. So, it's road closures. It's snipers on every roof. It's Tactical Action Groups. It's Bomb Disposal Units. It's airport style scanners. It's machine gun posts. So, in ensuring "our" safety, you're left wondering - fuck me, what are they expecting. There's a dilemma for Pakistan.
Before I left England, I listened to the - you'll not get any beer out there - bleatings. Of course, I wouldn't have been fussed. But, Pakistan's Murree Brewery was founded in 1860. And has been operating in Pakistan ever since. We actually drove past the wonderfully evocative ruins of the original brewery on one of our days out.
My experience of the sale of alcohol ran the hypocritical range in this restricted society. From that very busy hole in the wall speakeasy. To that pretend it's a training room sports bar. I'd set the target of one beer tick per day of cricket. We unexpectedly attended the domestic final. And, the Test went deeeeep into Day 5. So, six required for the W.
The sixth tick was;
Murree Brewery, Murree Beer, Lager, from a Tin at 4.5%
The Hypochondria
My name is Phil, I'm a Type II Diabetic.
As we head back from Pakistan, the aim is to get back to a simple, balanced diet. And, in particular to avoid superfluous, sugary, binge snacking on choccies, biccies, sweeties cakes and Aldi knock off Magnums.
Managing Beers out in Pakistan has been rather straightforward. Although I'll maybe have a coupla cans on the plane to take the edge off. My main objective will be to just have a couple of pints on day out awaydays. And to try to keep under 14 Units per week.
Currently, my 7 day average units of alcohol per week is ELEVEN.
And, my 30 day average units of alcohol is EIGHT per week.
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