England captain Ben Stokes expressed his disappointment after his side’s 2-1 Test series defeat against Pakistan, which concluded on October 26. England, who dominated and won the first Test convincingly, were left scrambling as they crumbled against Pakistan's spin duo of Sajid Khan and Noman Ali in the next two Tests.

After scoring a massive 823 runs for the loss of just seven wickets in the first Test, England’s batting line-up failed to replicate their performance in the second and third Tests. Over the course of those two games in Multan and Rawalpindi, England lost all 40 wickets for a combined 814 runs, ultimately conceding the series.

Pakistan, under the leadership of Shan Masood, secured their first Test series win over England since 2015, using spin-friendly pitches to turn the tables on the visitors.

Speaking after the crushing 9-wicket loss in the third Test, Stokes admitted that his side couldn’t rise to the challenge presented by Pakistan’s changes after the first match. "Disappointing, losing games and losing series. We weren’t able to match the challenges in the last two games, credit to Pakistan," Stokes said, acknowledging Pakistan’s tactical brilliance. "Moving forward, we’ll look to match those challenges as we come up against them. In a couple of weeks' time, we’ll be up against New Zealand."

Despite the series defeat, Stokes emphasized the need to take positives from the individual performances that stood out.

"Whether you do well or not, you always try and take the positives out. Regardless of the result, there have been some unbelievable individual performances so certainly a lot to take out. You take that aspect and that look on it, Rehan and Bashir coming here to play cricket in front of family, it's something massive for them. They’re two incredible cricketers who’re just starting their career so it's massive for them," said Stokes.