Jack Leach took the final wicket of an incredible Test match and immediately declared the win to be ‘better than Headingley.’
Leach has played a central role in England’s two most stunning wins of recent times, both here and as the perfect foil to Ben Stokes’ greatest innings against Australia at Headingley in the 2019 Ashes.
And the left arm-spinner, who secured a lifetime’s supply of spectacles from Specsavers for his rearguard action in Leeds, reckons this win in Pakistan comes out on top. With so many team-mates playing crucial roles in the win, it coming away from home, and on such a flat pitch, Leach is sure of a new No.1 in his eyes.
“Yeah, absolutely that's the greatest win I think I've ever been involved in,” said Leach. “And obviously Headingley was amazing. But the way we tried to force something to happen and the way that so many people have contributed and it going right down to the end it was just amazing.
“For me, I think it does trump Headingley. I just said that to Stokesy. I said, ‘Sorry, I think yeah it does beat Headingley, it was just amazing.’”
Leach thought he had grabbed an important lbw wicket earlier in the piece, but the decision review system said the ball was going over the top. This time it was fully backed up the umpire’s decision to give Leach a winning moment he wasn’t sure he deserved after the seam bowlers had done so much.
“It was an unbelievable feeling to get that last one,” he added. “I’m just so happy we could get over the line.
“It's felt like a very long game, but really rewarding at the end of it to come away with a win and obviously with so many good performances from the boys. To finish it off I felt a bit of a fraud to be honest because these quick boys had done the work, but it was amazing.
“Obviously with the older ball I had that one that went over the top. So when that new ball came I felt like I could maybe get to hit the stumps a little bit more, and that's how it worked out.”
