Ali and Khan again spin out England to earn Pakistan's series-clinching 9-wicket win in 3rd test

RAWALPINDI, Pakistan (AP) — Spinners Noman Ali and Sajid Khan suppressed England's batting attack inside three days and earned Pakistan a long-awaited and series-clinching nine-wicket win in the third and final test on Saturday.

The 38-year-old left-arm spinner Ali and off-spinner Khan, 31, had grabbed all 20 wickets on a recycled second test pitch to level the series last week and yet again clipped the batters on an engineered dry surface by sharing 19 wickets as England was dismissed for 112 on Day 3.

It was England’s lowest innings total in Pakistan, eclipsing its previous score of 130 all out in Lahore in 1987.

Pakistan, which got a meaningful 77-run first innings lead, reached 37-1 at the stroke of lunch to notch its first home series win since 2021 when it beat South Africa 2-0.

Skipper Shan Masood (23 not out), who lost six successive test matches as captain before England got beaten in the second test, sealed the win with a six over long-off against Shoaib Bashir after smashing four successive boundaries to Jack Leach.

“It’s special,” Masood said. “The first win came after a long time and it was backed up by a series win … it’s about character. To be here and standing as the wining team, it’s the most special thing for us.”

Leach grabbed the only wicket to fall when he successfully went for an lbw television referral against Saim Ayub, who made eight.

The win was a sweet revenge for the home team, which was knocked over by England 3-0 when it last toured Pakistan two years ago under the captaincy of Ben Stokes.

England's batting folded meekly against the spin duo for the second time around as Ali followed his three wickets in the first innings with 6-42 on a wicket which was dried out by industrial-sized giant fans and outdoor heaters.

Khan grabbed 4-69 to add to his first innings six-wicket haul as England batters couldn’t negotiate the variable bounce and the turn Khan and Ali extracted of the pitch.

England won the first test by an innings and 47 runs before Pakistan succeeded in its ploy to reuse the same surface in Multan to counter England’s aggressive batting and recalled both Ali and Khan for the remaining two test matches.

“Disappointing,” said Stokes, who missed out on England’s memorable win in the first test recovering from torn hamstring, but returned to lead the side in yougher conditions for his batters. “We got thrown some challenges over these last two games and weren’t able to stand up to them, credit to Pakistan.”

Resuming on a precarious 24-3, Joe Root (33) and Harry Brook (26) cut down the deficit to 11 runs before England lost wickets in cluster.

Brook got a thick edge when he tried to cut Ali and the left-arm spinner had Stokes lbw off an armed ball which the England captain awfully tried to leave. England was still trailing by two runs when Jamie Smith (3) charged down the wicket to Khan and had his off stump knocked over and England slipped to 6-75.

Khan then ended Root’s grim resistance by finding the outside edge before England’s tail folded quickly against the spin duo.

“The lads trained hard but when you get out in the middle it can be completely different,” Stokes conceded.

The 2-1 series win was Masood’s first series win since he was appointed test captain last year, but lost six test matches in a row. Australia routed Pakistan 3-0 under Masood’s leadership and Bangladesh recorded a stunning 2-0 win in Pakistan before England racked up record-breaking 823-7 decl. to hand Masood another defeat.

“We’d like to dedicate this (series win) to the people of Pakistan, who’ve been through a lot,” Masood said. “Hopefully this will put a smile on people’s face, and hopefully we can have full houses.”

AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket

Pakistan's Sajid Khan, right, celebrates with teammates after taking the wicket of England's Gus Atkinson during the day three of third test cricket match between Pakistan and England, in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed)

Pakistan's Shan Masood, left, and Pakistan's Abdullah Shafique celebrate after winning the third test cricket match against England, in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed)

Pakistani players pose for group photo with the trophy after winning the series against England by 2-1, in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed)

Pakistan's Noman Ali, center, celebrates with teammates after taking the wicket of England's Joe Root during the day three of third test cricket match between Pakistan and England, in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed)

Pakistan's Noman Ali performs Sajdah, a prayer bow in gratitude to God, after taking his fifth wicket during the day three of third test cricket match between Pakistan and England, in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed)

England's Jack Leach, left, looks back to wickets as he stump out by Pakistan's Mohammad Rizwan during the day three of third test cricket match between Pakistan and England, in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed)

Pakistan's Sajid Khan, center, celebrates with teammates after taking the wicket of England's Jamie Smith during the day three of third test cricket match between Pakistan and England, in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed)

Pakistan's Noman Ali celebrates after taking the wicket of England's Ben Stokes during the day three of third test cricket match between Pakistan and England, in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed)

Pakistan's Noman Ali, left, celebrates with teammates after taking the wicket of England's Ben Stokes, second right, during the day three of third test cricket match between Pakistan and England, in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed)

England's Harry Brook reacts as he walks off the field after his dismissal during the day three of third test cricket match between Pakistan and England, in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed)

Pakistan's Noman Ali, center, celebrates with teammates after taking the wicket of England's Harry Brook during the day three of third test cricket match between Pakistan and England, in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed)

Pakistan's Noman Ali, center, celebrates with teammates after taking the wicket of England's Harry Brook during the day three of third test cricket match between Pakistan and England, in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed)

Pakistan's Noman Ali celebrates after taking the wicket of England's Ben Stokes during the day three of third test cricket match between Pakistan and England, in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed)

Pakistan's Sajid Khan celebrates after taking the wicket of England's Gus Atkinson during the day three of third test cricket match between Pakistan and England, in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed)

Pakistan's Noman Ali, left, and Sajid Khan display the ball jointly as they walk off the field on the end of England's second innings during the day three of third test cricket match between Pakistan and England, in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed)

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Freddie Freeman scooped up his youngest son and held him tight, planting kisses on the blond head of 3-year-old Maximus. The slugger's wife, Chelsea, corralled their other two sons for a family photo on the Dodger Stadium field where Dad had just created an indelible moment in baseball lore.

Three months earlier, Freddie and Chelsea were at Max’s hospital bedside while he fought for his life after being stricken with Guillain-Barré syndrome.

Max survived and thrived — and he got to watch his father make World Series history Friday night for the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Freeman is still recovering from a badly sprained right ankle, but he had zero trouble rounding the bases after hitting his 10th-inning grand slam to win Game 1 of the World Series over the Yankees. After celebrating with his teammates, he looked even more nimble when he ran and jumped at the screen behind home plate to celebrate joyously with his father.

“It felt like nothing, just kind of floating,” a beaming Freeman said.

“Those are the kind of things, when you’re 5 years old with your two older brothers and you’re playing wiffle ball in the backyard, those are the scenarios you dream about — two outs, bases loaded in a World Series game," he added. "For it to actually happen and get a home run and walk it off to give us a 1-0 lead, that’s as good as it gets right there.”

After everything the eight-time All-Star has endured since midsummer, it’s clear nothing will stop Freeman this year from giving everything he has — both to his sport and his family.

“He’s doing something that’s basically heroic to put himself in position to play,” Dodgers postseason hero Kiké Hernández said. “Freddie is a grinder. Not too many superstars grind the way Freddie does. He’s a Hall of Famer, and this is a special moment in his career.”

Freeman missed eight games for the Dodgers in July and August after Max fell ill while watching his father at the All-Star Game festivities in Texas.

When the family returned home, Max was hospitalized and put on a ventilator after he experienced partial paralysis and breathing difficulty. He was diagnosed with Guillain-Barré, the rare neurological condition that affects the immune system, nerves and muscles.

Max’s condition gradually improved, and Freeman returned to work Aug. 5. He didn’t hide his tears before or after he received a standing ovation from Dodgers fans who understood the depth of his distress.

Freeman then broke his right middle finger less than two weeks after returning, and he slumped while trying to play with the injury before manager Dave Roberts persuaded him to sit out a series in late August to reset his body.

Max Freeman came back to Chavez Ravine in September to watch the Dodgers down the stretch. The youngster is expected to recover fully, Freeman said.

Through it all, Freeman produced another standout season at first base and at the plate, batting .282 with an .854 OPS, 22 homers, 89 RBIs and 4.7 WAR.

But Freeman badly injured his ankle Sept. 26 in the Dodgers’ regular-season home finale. The Dodgers acknowledged the severity of the sprain would have kept most players out for several weeks during the regular season, but Freeman is determined to gut it out if possible — because it’s October.

He has sat out three postseason games, including two of the final three against the Mets in the NLCS. The Dodgers won anyway, reaching the World Series for the first time in Freeman's three years back home in his native Southern California.

“There’s been multiple times where we’ve had to go to Freddie and say, ‘Hey, you need to sit this one out,’” slugger Max Muncy said. “‘We’ve got you tonight. You need to rest.’ If you know Freddie, that’s a hard conversation to have. But he knows what’s best for the team, and now he’s feeling like himself enough to do what he did tonight.”

After nearly a week of rest and treatment, Freeman said his ankle “actually felt pretty good” heading into Game 1 against the Yankees.

He showed it in the first inning when he legged out a triple — his first since June 1.

Freeman is only the third player in baseball history to get a grand slam and a triple in a postseason game. Kaz Matsui, who did it for Colorado against Philadelphia in a 2007 NLDS, is the only other player to accomplish the feat since 1920.

In the sixth inning, Freeman watched with awe, his arms folded, as Giancarlo Stanton’s mammoth homer flew deep into the left-field stands for New York.

But 36 years after another veteran Dodgers slugger hit a World Series Game 1-ending homer and limped around the bases in a frenzied Chavez Ravine, Freeman took the same hobbled jog in the deafening din of October celebrations.

Kirk Gibson created one of the most iconic moments in Dodgers history in 1988. Freeman’s blast was eerily similar, even landing in roughly the same part of the Dodger Stadium bleachers — with brake lights from early-departing fans visible in the parking lots beyond.

Muncy hit his own World Series game-ending homer in the 18th inning of the Dodgers' victory over the Boston Red Sox in 2018, albeit in Los Angeles' only victory in the series.

“When I hit mine, you kind of black out in that moment,” Muncy said. “With this one, I could see the reactions. Feel the ground shaking. I was standing next to Dave, but as soon as (Freeman) hit it, I just launched my bat.”

Freeman’s homer will be immortalized in Cooperstown: He has agreed to give his cleats to the Baseball Hall of Fame — but only after the World Series is over.

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB

Los Angeles Dodgers' Freddie Freeman speaks during a news conference after his walk-off grand slam home run against the New York Yankees during the 10th inning in Game 1 of the baseball World Series, Friday, Oct. 25, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Los Angeles Dodgers' Freddie Freeman celebrates his walk-off grand slam home run against the New York Yankees during the 10th inning in Game 1 of the baseball World Series, Friday, Oct. 25, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Los Angeles Dodgers' Freddie Freeman celebrates his walk-off grand slam home run against the New York Yankees during the 10th inning in Game 1 of the baseball World Series, Friday, Oct. 25, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Los Angeles Dodgers' Freddie Freeman celebrates his walk-off grand slam home run against the New York Yankees during the 10th inning in Game 1 of the baseball World Series, Friday, Oct. 25, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Los Angeles Dodgers' Freddie Freeman celebrates after hitting a game-winning grand slam against the New York Yankees during the 10th inning in Game 1 of the baseball World Series, Friday, Oct. 25, 2024, in Los Angeles. The Dodgers won 6-3. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

Los Angeles Dodgers' Freddie Freeman celebrates after hitting a walk-off grand slam home run during the 10th inning in Game 1 of the baseball World Series against the New York Yankees, Friday, Oct. 25, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)