On this day in 1987, Pakistan wreaked havoc in England as they notched a mammoth Test tally. Pakistan batters produced a huge total of 708 runs during their first innings of a Test. Pakistan’s charismatic skipper Imran Khan played an unbeaten knock of 118 in that match as he led his side to their best Test score at the time.
That record was eventually broken in 2009 when Pakistan scored 765 against Sri Lanka in Karachi.
The year 1987 brought plenty of success for Pakistan as they bagged a historic 1-0 victory over England in a five-match Test series. After drawing two Tests, Pakistan dominated the Englishmen in the third fixture to win by an innings and 18 runs.
Another draw followed before Pakistan put up a mammoth 708-run tally in the fifth Test at the Kennington Oval in London.
️ #OnThisDay in 1987, Pakistan’s first innings at The Oval ended on 708 – then the highest total in their Test history.Scorecard: https://t.co/1AcZbcFNI9 pic.twitter.com/EeDM6tYwqp
— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) August 8, 2023
In that match, Pakistan won the toss and elected to bat first. On Day 1 of the fixture, the Asian side conceded early losses as Ramiz Raja and Mansoor Akhtar departed for 14 and 5 runs, respectively. Next, Mudassar Nazar stepped up with a knock of 73 before being dismissed by Ian Botham.
The first century of the match was eventually scored by Javed Miandad who ended the day with an unbeaten 131. The second day of the Test saw Miandad complete his double-century before losing his wicket to Graham Dilley. He departed scoring 260 runs, having smashed 28 boundaries and a maximum. Saleem Malik notched a century to help the Asian giants finish the day at 616/6.
The third day of the Test saw Pakistan finally reach the mammoth total, thanks to some significant contributions from Ijaz Ahmed and Saleem Yousuf. They failed to continue their momentum against Graham Dilley who went on an absolute rampage against the lower-order batters.
Dilley scalped the last four wickets, dismissing the likes of Wasim Akram and Abdul Qadir. He ensured Pakistan got no more than 708 runs on the board.
At the time, the historic tally surpassed Pakistan’s previous 674-run knock against India. It was the sixth-highest score in any Test and the second-highest total conceded by England. Despite Pakistan’s historic batting, the fixture ended in a draw.
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