England vs Pakistan | 1st Test | Manchester | Aug 5-9, 2020 | Pre-Match Discussion Thread

[MenInG]

The England and Wales Cricket Board does not believe England's first Test with Pakistan at Old Trafford will be affected by extra coronavirus restrictions in Greater Manchester.

The government has banned separate households from meeting each other indoors across the area.

The opener against Pakistan starts on Wednesday, 5 August.

The ECB says it will continue to follow government advice, but protocols in place will allow the game to proceed.

England recently completed a 2-1 series win over West Indies, with the final two Tests taking place at Old Trafford in a bio-secure bubble without spectators.

The new lockdown rules in Greater Manchester, as well as other areas in the north, came into force at midnight after a spike in coronavirus cases.

The measures mean different households will not be allowed to meet in homes or private gardens. Individual households will still be able to go to pubs and restaurants but not mix with another households.

England's victory over West Indies moved them third in the World Test Championship, behind India and Australia.

The second and third Tests against Pakistan will be played at the Ageas Bowl in Southampton.

https://www.bbc.com/sport/cricket/53605859

 

[MenInG]

England are looking very strong but wonder if the break from the bubble will help or hinder them in their prep.

They know they cannot let Pakistan take the lead in the series so will come at us pretty hard

 

[Local.Dada]

I am not sure why England isn’t playing Bairstow. If they play these lalloo openers, Abbas is going to eat them for breakfast.

Also Stokes and Root haven’t hit their full peak, so it could go either ways for Pakistan.

This isn’t as one sided as it looks on paper, Pak can pull it off. Good luck

 

[Manunited18]

England are looking very strong but wonder if the break from the bubble will help or hinder them in their prep.

They know they cannot let Pakistan take the lead in the series so will come at us pretty hard

Weather forecast is good next week , with that it brings the teams closer.

 

[Markhor]

I am not sure why England isn’t playing Bairstow. If they play these lalloo openers, Abbas is going to eat them for breakfast.

Also Stokes and Root haven’t hit their full peak, so it could go either ways for Pakistan.

This isn’t as one sided as it looks on paper, Pak can pull it off. Good luck

Check Bairstow's Test average over the last 12-18 months. He has major technical deficiencies against the moving ball. Both him and Buttler should be white ball specialists only.

 

[majiz]

when was the last time england beat pakistan in a test series?jesus you would have to go way back would you not. asad shafiq(a GOAT player of spin) is going to end dom bess's career and naseem shah is going to take 20 wickets at about 18 a piece

the last time england beat pakistan in a test series was during the series when salman butt exploited two elite fast bowlers from poor villages for his own greedy rich, middle class gain. massive asterix around that series. pakistam havent lost to england in bare time


certain man @ mamoon, is far too critical of pakistan cricket. you have a lot to be thankful for

 

[majiz]

naseem shah is turbo elite and he is going to trouble the english batsmen big time this series

 

[sweep_shot]

First game is very important. I think Pakistan may win the series if they can win the first game. Same goes for England.

 

[tyron_woodley]

pakistan fans make it hard to support them but let's go pakistan. destroy the poms please. thanks. bye.

 

[pratiktc]

Man to man we looking like almost certain 3-0 whitewash

But need to bat first in first test and score 200-225. Then there is a chance for Naseem/Shaheen to do something special.

 

[KingOfPakBreakfast]

Just had a look at the weather forecast for Old Trafford from Wednesday 5th August onwards. There's rain on Wednesday and it's cloudy Thursday followed by beaming sunshine from Friday-Sunday. Looks like whoever wins the toss will fancy bowling first

 

[Junaids]

This is not a great England team.

Root is a world class batsman, but not as good as Babar Azam.

Stokes is a world class all-rounder.

Burns is no better than Shan Masood.

Sibley is no better than Abid Ali.

Azhar and Shafiq are better than England’s other two batting options.

Buttler is significantly inferior to Rizwan.

I’d rather have Shaheen and Naseem than Archer and this veteran version of Anderson.

Abbas and Broad are fairly similar.

Yasir and Shadab are far better than any English spinner.

I just see no reason for either team to be complacent.

 

[Junaids]

Just had a look at the weather forecast for Old Trafford from Wednesday 5th August onwards. There's rain on Wednesday and it's cloudy Thursday followed by beaming sunshine from Friday-Sunday. Looks like whoever wins the toss will fancy bowling first

So that they can deliver England yet another home win after the opposition wins the toss and elects to field!

 

[MenInG]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">This should be Pakistan's team for the 1st Test:<br><br>Abid Ali<br>Shan Masood<br>Azhar Ali<br>Babar Azam<br>Asad Shafiq<br>Fawad Alam<br>Mohammad Rizwan<br>Yasir Shah<br>Naseem Shah<br>Shaheen Shah Afridi<br>Mohammad Abbas<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ENGvPAK?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ENGvPAK</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Cricket?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Cricket</a></p>— Saj Sadiq (@Saj_PakPassion) <a href="https://twitter.com/Saj_PakPassion/status/1289456667071922176?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 1, 2020</a></blockquote>
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[Ab Fan]

This is not a great England team.

Root is a world class batsman, but not as good as Babar Azam.

Stokes is a world class all-rounder.

Burns is no better than Shan Masood.

Sibley is no better than Abid Ali.

Azhar and Shafiq are better than England’s other two batting options.

Buttler is significantly inferior to Rizwan.

I’d rather have Shaheen and Naseem than Archer and this veteran version of Anderson.

Abbas and Broad are fairly similar.

Yasir and Shadab are far better than any English spinner.

I just see no reason for either team to be complacent.

No surprises. Another joke comparison.

 

[KingOfPakBreakfast]

So that they can deliver England yet another home win after the opposition wins the toss and elects to field!

If There are overcast conditions on day 1, you back your bowlers to bowl out the opposition in 3 sessions. You then ride out batting days 2 and 3, in easier batting conditions whilst tiring out the England attack. By the time you're bowling on day four, the wicket is dry enough to make Yasir Shah a factor. This may sound idealistic, but you don't get into a test series with pessimism.

However, since you are the knowledge source of everything ever, you may disagree

 

[KingOfPakBreakfast]

This is not a great England team.

Root is a world class batsman, but not as good as Babar Azam.

Stokes is a world class all-rounder.

Burns is no better than Shan Masood.

Sibley is no better than Abid Ali.

Azhar and Shafiq are better than England’s other two batting options.

Buttler is significantly inferior to Rizwan.

I’d rather have Shaheen and Naseem than Archer and this veteran version of Anderson.

Abbas and Broad are fairly similar.

Yasir and Shadab are far better than any English spinner.

I just see no reason for either team to be complacent.

I'm fully supporting Pakistan, but I find these comparisons incredible, and not in the positive manner.

Burns is incredibly gritty and does not suffer from regular lapses of concentration ala Shan.

Crawley, given current form is a better bat than atleast Azhar and also possibly Asad.

Butter may have played himself into form in the last Windies test.

Most importantly (and I can't believe I have to type this out), the greater team, the unit that'll be more than the sum if it's parts will win.

Thus, underestimating England would be a mistake

 

[Thunderbolt14]

This is not a great England team.

Root is a world class batsman, but not as good as Babar Azam.

Stokes is a world class all-rounder.

Burns is no better than Shan Masood.

Sibley is no better than Abid Ali.

Azhar and Shafiq are better than England’s other two batting options.

Buttler is significantly inferior to Rizwan.

I’d rather have Shaheen and Naseem than Archer and this veteran version of Anderson.

Abbas and Broad are fairly similar.

Yasir and Shadab are far better than any English spinner.

I just see no reason for either team to be complacent.

I can put an equal spin on it:

Root is finding batting form, Babar seems to be struggling for fluency in practice matches.

Stokes is the best Test all rounder in the world, balances the English attack, and singlehandedly can win England games — Pakistan has an imbalanced attack regardless of whether or not you slot Faheem in as the 4th pacer, and does not have a single batsman (even Babar) who can pull off a Headingley 2019.

Sibley is worth 30-40 runs an innings while Abid is worth 10-20.

Azhar is a sitting duck with knee issues and without the eyesight he would use to compensate his lack of technique. Shafiq is worth 40 runs an innings.

Buttler is indeed inferior to Rizwan but has been known to trouble Pakistan in the past due to his attacking style of cricket.

Shaheen and Naseem are superb talents and have higher ceilings than Anderson and Archer, but both Anderson and Archer are in hot form fresh of a 2-1 series victory.

Abbas and Broad have similarities but Broad sits at 500 wickets and still moves the ball brilliantly while Abbas struggles for pace.

Yasir and Shadab may be better than Dom Bess but are worth no more than 1-2 wickets an innings which even Bess can manage. The secondary factor is economy and you yourself have been an exponent of how Yasir is easily hit around in SENA.

It is quite easy to make comparisons as such. It’s why man-to-man comparisons in my opinion don’t hold up. Looking at the overall balance of the team, England is quite nicely shaped while Pakistan is low on confidence and unable to figure out the right combination. Pakistan’s batting unit as a whole looks inferior to that of the Poms while the remarkable pace prospects of Shaheen and Naseem are at best at par with Broad, Anderson, Stokes, Archer.

I am not typically a naysayer as you will have seen from my other posts on this forum but this series will not be as competitive as you are making it out to be on a man-to-man level. Rather, you’re going to rely on individual performances - 150 from Babar to make up for 5 by Azhar, 70 by Rizwan to make up for 20 by Shafiq, 4-fers from both Shaheen and Naseem to make up for 3 wickets between Yasir, Faheem, and Abbas.

The list goes on. If the series is competitive, it will be because of individuals, not because of collective team input.

 

[Junaids]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">This should be Pakistan's team for the 1st Test:<br><br>Abid Ali<br>Shan Masood<br>Azhar Ali<br>Babar Azam<br>Asad Shafiq<br>Fawad Alam<br>Mohammad Rizwan<br>Yasir Shah<br>Naseem Shah<br>Shaheen Shah Afridi<br>Mohammad Abbas<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ENGvPAK?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ENGvPAK</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Cricket?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Cricket</a></p>— Saj Sadiq (@Saj_PakPassion) <a href="https://twitter.com/Saj_PakPassion/status/1289456667071922176?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 1, 2020</a></blockquote>
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So in other words:

1. Five batsmen the wrong side of 30 years of age.

2. Zero bowlers aged 21 to 29.

3. Three Number 11’s plus one Number 10.

4. An “extra” batsman who is 35 years old, hasn’t played a Test for a decade and in his most recent 11 overs at the crease scored a single run and got out.

That’s quite a team!

 

[Extra_Cover]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">This should be Pakistan's team for the 1st Test:<br><br>Abid Ali<br>Shan Masood<br>Azhar Ali<br>Babar Azam<br>Asad Shafiq<br>Fawad Alam<br>Mohammad Rizwan<br>Yasir Shah<br>Naseem Shah<br>Shaheen Shah Afridi<br>Mohammad Abbas<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ENGvPAK?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ENGvPAK</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Cricket?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Cricket</a></p>— Saj Sadiq (@Saj_PakPassion) <a href="https://twitter.com/Saj_PakPassion/status/1289456667071922176?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 1, 2020</a></blockquote>
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Replace Fawad with Shadab and Yasir with Faheem/Sohail

If all these practice matches and warm-ups for past one month cannot help us identify our strongest XI then whats the point of it at all.

 

[Babar_Azam_fan]

A ALI
S MASOOD
A ALI *
B AZAM
A SHAFIQ
M RIZWAN +
S KHAN
S KHAN
M ABBAS
S AFRIDI
N SHAH


You need 4 pacers, and 5 bowlers at least, as simple as that. I’d have been tempted for Faheem either in place of Abbas or Sohail but he doesn’t add anything with the bat. I am sure Sohail can score more than zero, which is what Faheem scores. So, I’ll just add Sohail given the form he’s in to strengthen the bowling.

First innings Shadab will be a more of a batsman, and a bowler to support 4 pacers. I’ll open the bowling with Abbas and Sohail

Second innings, we all know the problem with Sohail, so Shadab has to bowl more on day 4 and day 5 pitch. I’ll open the bowling with Abbas and Shaheen, as Sohail will not be of much use in the second innings.

Second new ball in both the innings will be used by the two Shahs

INNINGS 1

SESSION 1
ABBAS 8
SOHAIL 7
SHAHEEN 7
NASEEM 6
SHADAB 2

SESSION 2
ABBAS 8
SOHAIL 7
SHAHEEN 5
NASEEM 5
SHADAB 5

SESSION 3
ABBAS 8
SOHAIL 7
SHADAB 5
SHAHEEN 5
NASEEM 5

TOTAL
ABBAS 24
SOHAIL 21
SHAHEEN 17
NASEEM 16
SHADAB 12


INNINGS 2

SESSION 1
ABBAS 8
SHAHEEN 6
SOHAIL 6
NASEEM 5
SHADAB 5

SESSION 2
ABBAS 8
SHADAB 7
SHAHEEN 5
NASEEM 5
SOHAIL 5

SESSION 3
ABBAS 8
SHADAB 7
SOHAIL 5
SHAHEEN 5
NASEEM 5

TOTAL
ABBAS 24
SHADAB 19
SHAHEEN 16
SOHAIL 16
NASEEM 15

 

[Thunderbolt14]

A ALI
S MASOOD
A ALI *
B AZAM
A SHAFIQ
M RIZWAN +
S KHAN
S KHAN
M ABBAS
S AFRIDI
N SHAH


You need 4 pacers, and 5 bowlers at least, as simple as that. I’d have been tempted for Faheem either in place of Abbas or Sohail but he doesn’t add anything with the bat. I am sure Sohail can score more than zero, which is what Faheem scores. So, I’ll just add Sohail given the form he’s in to strengthen the bowling.

First innings Shadab will be a more of a batsman, and a bowler to support 4 pacers. I’ll open the bowling with Abbas and Sohail

Second innings, we all know the problem with Sohail, so Shadab has to bowl more on day 4 and day 5 pitch. I’ll open the bowling with Abbas and Shaheen, as Sohail will not be of much use in the second innings.

Second new ball in both the innings will be used by the two Shahs

INNINGS 1

SESSION 1
ABBAS 8
SOHAIL 7
SHAHEEN 7
NASEEM 6
SHADAB 2

SESSION 2
ABBAS 8
SOHAIL 7
SHAHEEN 5
NASEEM 5
SHADAB 5

SESSION 3
ABBAS 8
SOHAIL 7
SHADAB 5
SHAHEEN 5
NASEEM 5

TOTAL
ABBAS 24
SOHAIL 21
SHAHEEN 17
NASEEM 16
SHADAB 12


INNINGS 2

SESSION 1
ABBAS 8
SHAHEEN 6
SOHAIL 6
NASEEM 5
SHADAB 5

SESSION 2
ABBAS 8
SHADAB 7
SHAHEEN 5
NASEEM 5
SOHAIL 5

SESSION 3
ABBAS 8
SHADAB 7
SOHAIL 5
SHAHEEN 5
NASEEM 5

TOTAL
ABBAS 24
SHADAB 19
SHAHEEN 16
SOHAIL 16
NASEEM 15

Good breakdown overall. You think Sohail can last 16 overs and be effective throughout?

 

[Babar_Azam_fan]

Good breakdown overall. You think Sohail can last 16 overs and be effective throughout?

If it’s SA or Aus he wouldn’t. In England he’ll still have some assistance from the pitch and the conditions. Don’t see it as 16 overs. Rather it’s 6+5+5.

Shadab should take the responsibility along with Sohail in the second innings. Also, I am sure there will be at least two follow on due to the ineptness of Pak batsmen, so Sohail can get two innings rest in between.

Moreover this is for first test, if Faheem can sort his batting out and get good at defence like he was in 2018, or if Amir is ready by second test, then either of them can replace Sohail

 

[Markhor]

Old Trafford is the most Australian-like wicket in England in terms of pace and bounce, which is probably why we've been hammered in our last two Tests at this ground, and why the last two teams to beat England at this ground are Australia (2019) and South Africa (2008).

The seamers need to bowl a fraction fuller than a good length, and the spinner must at least hold up an end. Unfortunately last time Wahab and Rahat sprayed the ball around while Yasir took 1-213 from 54 overs.

 

[DandyFellow]

Hello. I have been following this forum for quite some time but this is my first time I am writing on the forum. I am currently residing in UK and one thing I realised that will play an important role in the 1st Test is the heatwave on 2nd,3rd and 4th day of the Test Match. And that totally changes the conditions and circumstances. Due to that, Pakistan must play 5 bowlers to combat slowness of the pitch as the match progresses. Past will say otherwise about Old Trafford but I am pretty sure UK rarely has hot conditions. Moreover, playing two spinners can be really handful if Pakistan wins the toss and bats first. The only thing I am afraid is that the overcast conditions on the first day might lead Pakistan to bowl first or collapse in case of batting. Otherwise, conditions support Pakistan more than England and that is why Pakistan stands a pretty good chance at Old Trafford.

 

[MenInG]

Hello. I have been following this forum for quite some time but this is my first time I am writing on the forum. I am currently residing in UK and one thing I realised that will play an important role in the 1st Test is the heatwave on 2nd,3rd and 4th day of the Test Match. And that totally changes the conditions and circumstances. Due to that, Pakistan must play 5 bowlers to combat slowness of the pitch as the match progresses. Past will say otherwise about Old Trafford but I am pretty sure UK rarely has hot conditions. Moreover, playing two spinners can be really handful if Pakistan wins the toss and bats first. The only thing I am afraid is that the overcast conditions on the first day might lead Pakistan to bowl first or collapse in case of batting. Otherwise, conditions support Pakistan more than England and that is why Pakistan stands a pretty good chance at Old Trafford.

Welcome to PakPassion and many thanks for sharing your views above.

What you say about the weather is brilliant for Pakistan - they really need to take this opportunity and get ahead in the series.

 

[Kashur_Kalkharab]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">This should be Pakistan's team for the 1st Test:<br><br>Abid Ali<br>Shan Masood<br>Azhar Ali<br>Babar Azam<br>Asad Shafiq<br>Fawad Alam<br>Mohammad Rizwan<br>Yasir Shah<br>Naseem Shah<br>Shaheen Shah Afridi<br>Mohammad Abbas<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ENGvPAK?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ENGvPAK</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Cricket?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Cricket</a></p>— Saj Sadiq (@Saj_PakPassion) <a href="https://twitter.com/Saj_PakPassion/status/1289456667071922176?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 1, 2020</a></blockquote>
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I am with this as well. fawad might not perform but given the current situation where it seems totally impossible to pick the best 11,playing an 11 which assures bit of balance(certainty) is an option.


with others there is going to be uncertainty since experimenting but with fawad we will be more confident and with sort of less experimenting attitude at this juncture.

In short with fawad we look like more stable, at least on paper.Fawad would not count as bits and pieces and with bits and pieces you are never in it in test cricket.

Abid ali is my concern but having azhar ali praise him, means there is something better azhar saw during practice matches. Can't do much about it.


I will have shan masood there to consume as much as time he can playing new ball.For me it's more important that how many deliveries he consumes then the runs he score. Him scoring 30 of 30 is useless for the team compared to him scoring 20 of 60.


Azhar needs to follow the same game plan in case early wicket falls. But with good start he needs to look to score at least 40+.

Babar needs to makes most of the overs between 30 to 80.Should play his natural game, just want to to be concentrating real hard. Rizwan just needs to support him.

Shafiq, I would have him dropped to no 6 and want him to play his natural game and look for runs. One more thing for him is to increase that concentration level.

Fawad can occupy a side and him scoring 40 0f 90 against 2nd new ball would be his role. If he comes early around over no. 60,needs to support any of the babar,rizwan and shafiq and look to rotate against that old ball.


40 runs from tail should be most kind of them.


In bowling my biggest concern is yasir. If he doesn't find the form in the game must try to stop scoring rate and should get pretty defensive, him trying that extra but is gonna cost us an overpicthed and a short one every over. We don't need him getting 2 for 200.

 

[Titan24]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">This should be Pakistan's team for the 1st Test:<br><br>Abid Ali<br>Shan Masood<br>Azhar Ali<br>Babar Azam<br>Asad Shafiq<br>Fawad Alam<br>Mohammad Rizwan<br>Yasir Shah<br>Naseem Shah<br>Shaheen Shah Afridi<br>Mohammad Abbas<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ENGvPAK?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ENGvPAK</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Cricket?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Cricket</a></p>— Saj Sadiq (@Saj_PakPassion) <a href="https://twitter.com/Saj_PakPassion/status/1289456667071922176?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 1, 2020</a></blockquote>
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Considering everything I think its a fair call. Confidence to ball Fawad as 5th bowler if the wicket is spinning or Masood if their is some seam movement would be really important. Fawad has 50 FC wickets and I think he should be used as the supporting spinner when required, I always felt Pak under bowls batsmen who can ball especially when the opposition is batting well. Use of Haris Sohail in Aus as well as vs Srl and BD wasnt the optimal.

 

[Kashur_Kalkharab]

There is quite a scope for this batting order.
Shan masood
Abid ali
Azhar ali (overs played must will be 20)
Babar

Rizwan
(Babar and rizwan have had partnerships during that Australia tour, them playing with each other will definitely help the duo. As said earlier,they must look to take full advantage of the overs from 30 to 80).

Asad shafiq(his favorite spot and will be more confident at this position)

Fawad ( can look to play a long innings with any of the top order, that's should support them)

Yasir
.....
.....
.....

 

[Kashur_Kalkharab]

At no 5...
Rizwan can look to build his innings.At no. seven he might just be trying to keep the tail Enders off strike.

I think it is a wastage of an in form player. He is perhaps the next beat batsman after Baber at the moment and should not be wasted at no 7 at the moment.

 

[sharmaji]

I absolutely with this. Pakistan are equal if not superior to this English team. The only man standing between Pakistan and victory is Stokes. He is a once-in-a-generation cricketer. For me, he is in the company of match-winners like Sachin, Lara, McGrath, Sangakkara, Steve Smith and Wasim Akram. If Pak can somehow tame Stokes, then they have a golden chance to win the series.

This is not a great England team.

Root is a world class batsman, but not as good as Babar Azam.

Stokes is a world class all-rounder.

Burns is no better than Shan Masood.

Sibley is no better than Abid Ali.

Azhar and Shafiq are better than England’s other two batting options.

Buttler is significantly inferior to Rizwan.

I’d rather have Shaheen and Naseem than Archer and this veteran version of Anderson.

Abbas and Broad are fairly similar.

Yasir and Shadab are far better than any English spinner.

I just see no reason for either team to be complacent.

 

[shamaan]

Considering everything I think its a fair call. Confidence to ball Fawad as 5th bowler if the wicket is spinning or Masood if their is some seam movement would be really important. Fawad has 50 FC wickets and I think he should be used as the supporting spinner when required, I always felt Pak under bowls batsmen who can ball especially when the opposition is batting well. Use of Haris Sohail in Aus as well as vs Srl and BD wasnt the optimal.

If the frontline bowlers bowl 17 overs in a day that' gives u about 64 overs then the rest can be bowled by shan,Alan,azhar and shafiq

 

[shamaan]

No surprises. Another joke comparison.

How ?

 

[CrIc_Mystique]

Just had a look at the weather forecast for Old Trafford from Wednesday 5th August onwards. There's rain on Wednesday and it's cloudy Thursday followed by beaming sunshine from Friday-Sunday. Looks like whoever wins the toss will fancy bowling first

So it looks like mixed bag and that livens it up for both sides. As an indian neutrual i feel reverse is the way to go for pak. Abbas and SA are capable, your real X factor is NS and if he gets it to around 150kmph that will be terrific....and i donot think eng batting lineup is that hot. My strategy would be go with 5 bats+riz, play 4 quicks + yasir who i think will be a major factor on the last day (assuming pak bar first, and he can bat-scored 100 against cummins, starc and co in aus). Eng is good but not invincible. all in all i feel it will be evenly matched....

 

[DandyFellow]

This is actually a really good team considering the squad and the current form however I feel a 6-1-4 formation is a defensive approach and shows that our team is worried about below par scores. We are ready to weaken our bowling to compensate the batting but if a team with 6 batsmen can not score then I am not sure what a 7th batsmen can do. However a good 5th bowler can be an attacking move. Our strength lies in our bowling and continuously bowling out England for below 300 in the series. More importantly, we can not over bowl Naseem and Shaheen and if we want them to play all 3 matches we will require 5 bowlers. Our bench strength is extremely weak and I do not see us winning anything with it. Lastly, I see a lot of people talking about part time bowling for 10 to 15 overs in the day which is quite reasonable in UAE and Pakistan but tests in England are really quick and one session can totally change the context of the game. Also, if we want to bowl out England cheaply we have to continuously attack and do not let then settle. Since we have no all-rounders sadly, we should go with specialist batsmen and bowlers to do their jobs. Our allrounders can neither bat nor bowl well which will be a liability on the field. Thank you.

 

[DandyFellow]

Thank you. Looking forward for good discussions and analysis on the page. I will try my best to present level-headed opinions.

 

[Thunderbolt14]

This is actually a really good team considering the squad and the current form however I feel a 6-1-4 formation is a defensive approach and shows that our team is worried about below par scores. We are ready to weaken our bowling to compensate the batting but if a team with 6 batsmen can not score then I am not sure what a 7th batsmen can do. However a good 5th bowler can be an attacking move. Our strength lies in our bowling and continuously bowling out England for below 300 in the series. More importantly, we can not over bowl Naseem and Shaheen and if we want them to play all 3 matches we will require 5 bowlers. Our bench strength is extremely weak and I do not see us winning anything with it. Lastly, I see a lot of people talking about part time bowling for 10 to 15 overs in the day which is quite reasonable in UAE and Pakistan but tests in England are really quick and one session can totally change the context of the game. Also, if we want to bowl out England cheaply we have to continuously attack and do not let then settle. Since we have no all-rounders sadly, we should go with specialist batsmen and bowlers to do their jobs. Our allrounders can neither bat nor bowl well which will be a liability on the field. Thank you.

Great analysis. I agree with you that there must be relentless pressure on the England team by our pace attack, which will require 4 pacers who can strike.

I am not averse to something like:

5. Asad Shafiq
6. M Rizwan
7. Yasir Shah
8. Sohail Khan / M Amir
9. Mohammad Abbas
10. Shaheen Shah
11. Naseem Shah

 

[DandyFellow]

Great analysis. I agree with you that there must be relentless pressure on the England team by our pace attack, which will require 4 pacers who can strike.

I am not averse to something like:

5. Asad Shafiq
6. M Rizwan
7. Yasir Shah
8. Sohail Khan / M Amir
9. Mohammad Abbas
10. Shaheen Shah
11. Naseem Shah

The issue with the current squad is that most of our bowlers are new ball bowlers and not first change. In the current line-up, Abbas and Shaheen will use the new ball. Amir/Sohail both are pretty good but they are new ball bowlers too. The balance of the bowling attack requires someone who needs to be a middle overs bowler with potential reverse swing just like Wagner. In our squad there is only Wahab Riaz which is quite sad but team combinations work this way if we play four pace bowlers.

 

[Thunderbolt14]

The issue with the current squad is that most of our bowlers are new ball bowlers and not first change. In the current line-up, Abbas and Shaheen will use the new ball. Amir/Sohail both are pretty good but they are new ball bowlers too. The balance of the bowling attack requires someone who needs to be a middle overs bowler with potential reverse swing just like Wagner. In our squad there is only Wahab Riaz which is quite sad but team combinations work this way if we play four pace bowlers.

I was thinking of giving Shaheen and Sohail the new ball with Naseem and Abbas to follow. Wahab is quite unlikely to be selected given his performances in the practice matches, otherwise he is a quite decent option for the old ball.

As a result, the only possible fourth pacer after Shaheen Abbas and Naseem is between Faheem Ashraf and Sohail Khan.

 

[DandyFellow]

I was thinking of giving Shaheen and Sohail the new ball with Naseem and Abbas to follow. Wahab is quite unlikely to be selected given his performances in the practice matches, otherwise he is a quite decent option for the old ball.

As a result, the only possible fourth pacer after Shaheen Abbas and Naseem is between Faheem Ashraf and Sohail Khan.

I like your idea and in this way Sohail Khan can fit in really well. But I would be surprised to see any radical changes by the management.

 

[Kashur_Kalkharab]

This is actually a really good team considering the squad and the current form however I feel a 6-1-4 formation is a defensive approach and shows that our team is worried about below par scores. We are ready to weaken our bowling to compensate the batting but if a team with 6 batsmen can not score then I am not sure what a 7th batsmen can do. However a good 5th bowler can be an attacking move. Our strength lies in our bowling and continuously bowling out England for below 300 in the series. More importantly, we can not over bowl Naseem and Shaheen and if we want them to play all 3 matches we will require 5 bowlers. Our bench strength is extremely weak and I do not see us winning anything with it. Lastly, I see a lot of people talking about part time bowling for 10 to 15 overs in the day which is quite reasonable in UAE and Pakistan but tests in England are really quick and one session can totally change the context of the game. Also, if we want to bowl out England cheaply we have to continuously attack and do not let then settle. Since we have no all-rounders sadly, we should go with specialist batsmen and bowlers to do their jobs. Our allrounders can neither bat nor bowl well which will be a liability on the field. Thank you.

Good analysis but if our top 4 bowlers can't get them out, no fifth bowler can. However the same argument of yours would hold true if we could afford to have amir as our fifth bowler.
It would have worth to take the risk then.

Now talking about if we can maintain the pressure,I think Yasir is spoiling it a but here. If we could have a more attacking option than him, we could easily keep the pressure up but until he is in not replaced by some quality bowler it is not that possible.

But at the same time Pakistan can never afford to have only six batsmen playing, the will crumble under pressure thinking that we are only going with six.

 

[DandyFellow]

Good analysis but if our top 4 bowlers can't get them out, no fifth bowler can. However the same argument of yours would hold true if we could afford to have amir as our fifth bowler.
It would have worth to take the risk then.

Now talking about if we can maintain the pressure,I think Yasir is spoiling it a but here. If we could have a more attacking option than him, we could easily keep the pressure up but until he is in not replaced by some quality bowler it is not that possible.

But at the same time Pakistan can never afford to have only six batsmen playing, the will crumble under pressure thinking that we are only going with six.

The same argument does not work the other way because even if the first four bowlers do not get a wicket they will atleast not get tired and de-motivated if they have a 5th bowler. If the first four bowlers do not get wickets then we will not only lose the match but might lose the fitness of our bowlers for the next match. More importantly, the importance of the 5th bowler increases if the number of overs played by opposing team increases because bowlers get tired and injured sometimes due to over burden. For batsmen, the game is totally different. If the first six batsmen do not score that means 100-6 and you will have a bowler on one end. Most of the times we will be all out within 150. No current batsman knows to play with the tail and that is why an extra batsman would not be that helpful.
Lastly, when I want 5 bowlers, I expect the first 4 to pick handful of wickets but the 5th bowler should be putting pressure and not let free runs to be scored. We want Naseem and Shaheen fit to win matches and they will hopefully pick the most wickets if they stay fit. I really hope you get my point.
Ideally 6 batsmen 1 batting all-rounder 1 bowling all-rounder and 3 bowlers is best combo but we do not have any all-rounder this time around.

 

[MMHS]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">This should be Pakistan's team for the 1st Test:<br><br>Abid Ali<br>Shan Masood<br>Azhar Ali<br>Babar Azam<br>Asad Shafiq<br>Fawad Alam<br>Mohammad Rizwan<br>Yasir Shah<br>Naseem Shah<br>Shaheen Shah Afridi<br>Mohammad Abbas<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ENGvPAK?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ENGvPAK</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Cricket?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Cricket</a></p>— Saj Sadiq (@Saj_PakPassion) <a href="https://twitter.com/Saj_PakPassion/status/1289456667071922176?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 1, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

This was the playing XI I thought from the start - may be No. 6 is still open. I actually won't have played Fawad, rather would have slotted Asad at 6 and Imam at 5; though I would have kept Fakhar in the Test squad. Shoaib isn't wrong in that sense - they kept too little batting options in the 20+1 men Test squad.

One thing I would have loved to see in practice games is overs from Asad & Azhar, so that they can share some work load with Shan, otherwise this is the best that PAK can put, at least for first Test. Distant forecast is a wet start on Wednesday, but a dry end in last 3 days, therefore Yasir is going to be a key here. Don't mind PAK bowling first if the weather forecast remains same; but I think Azhar will go for safe option, which still can work in both side ends up with a short first innings and PAK batting on Day 3-4 second time.

 

[coy0607]

As expected, Misbah went with the most defensive options for the playing 11. Not that I disagree with him, but a predictable and defensive team.

All eyes will be on Fawad, lot of pressure to perform.

 

[Kroll]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">This should be Pakistan's team for the 1st Test:<br><br>Abid Ali<br>Shan Masood<br>Azhar Ali<br>Babar Azam<br>Asad Shafiq<br>Fawad Alam<br>Mohammad Rizwan<br>Yasir Shah<br>Naseem Shah<br>Shaheen Shah Afridi<br>Mohammad Abbas<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ENGvPAK?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ENGvPAK</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Cricket?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Cricket</a></p>— Saj Sadiq (@Saj_PakPassion) <a href="https://twitter.com/Saj_PakPassion/status/1289456667071922176?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 1, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

The problem with this attack is what happens when Yasir Shah gets smashed out of the attack?

It's going to put a lot of pressure on the rest of the bowlers.

 

[Forum363]

Before the tour started, it was obvious they were going to go with the same formula of 6 batsmen + keeper + 4 bowlers. With Yasir being the spinner and Fawad replacing Haris.

But to be fair to Misbah (and I am probably someone who dislikes him the most), he used the warm ups to give chances to the other players / try different combinations and the key men just didn’t step up. Specifically talking about Shadab and Faheem. Shadab was decent with the bat and Faheem was decent with the ball but they were rubbish in the other discipline and so negated the positives of them bringing the all round presence to the team.

So unfortunately Misbah is going to go back to his safety approach and pick the same balance for the team. I just hope they utilise Shan, Azhar and Fawad as part timers to give the pacers some rest.

Depending on how they do in the first test, a better balance for the second game would be to drop one of the batsmen (Fawad or Asad), bring in Amir and replace Yasir with Shadab. The batting skills of Shadab and Amir should be able to combine to almost make up the ousted batsman. Plus it will significantly strengthen the bowling.

 

[shehz]

What am I missing about Fawad? He scored 44 in like 100+ balls in a very difficult conditions right?Isn't that what is needed in Test? he is seeing the ball through which is what you need. Yes he wasn't great but nobody else in that spot or any other positions showed any greatness either. I don't understand why Fawad wasn't asked to bowl. Isn't he a slow left arm spin? I bet he could've been much more effective than overrated Ifti.

 

[coy0607]

But to be fair to Misbah (and I am probably someone who dislikes him the most), he used the warm ups to give chances to the other players / try different combinations and the key men just didn’t step up. Specifically talking about Shadab and Faheem. Shadab was decent with the bat and Faheem was decent with the ball but they were rubbish in the other discipline and so negated the positives of them bringing the all round presence to the team.

I wouldn't exactly give credit to Misbah for that, considering it was an intra-squad game and 22 players were going to play. I guess he deserves some credit for playing Haider and Imam rather than himself and Younis

 

[Nikhil_cric]

Old Trafford is the most Australian-like wicket in England in terms of pace and bounce, which is probably why we've been hammered in our last two Tests at this ground, and why the last two teams to beat England at this ground are Australia (2019) and South Africa (2008).

The seamers need to bowl a fraction fuller than a good length, and the spinner must at least hold up an end. Unfortunately last time Wahab and Rahat sprayed the ball around while Yasir took 1-213 from 54 overs.

No it's not. Headingley has the most pace and bounce of all English venues.

 

[Prince of Pakistan]

No it's not. Headingley has the most pace and bounce of all English venues.

Don't think so. Headingley has the best wicket for swing/seam bowlers in the UK while Old Trafford is known for its bounce.

Hoggard used to destroy the Pak team @ Headingley while Harmison was unstoppable @ Old Trafford.

But the wickets have changed in the UK ever since. Wickets have gone flat so there might be a chance if they bowl the right lengths.

Nevertheless venues in the Northern of the UK remain terrible for Asian sides.

 

[Abdullah]

Welcome to PakPassion and many thanks for sharing your views above.

What you say about the weather is brilliant for Pakistan - they really need to take this opportunity and get ahead in the series.

Yes but the first day us overcast I believe and then heatwave. Good toss to lose coming up maybe?!

Either top order could get blown away in a couple of hours

 

[Markhor]

No it's not. Headingley has the most pace and bounce of all English venues.

Lol, Headingley is easy paced and gets better for batting as the match progresses - see the 2017 Test v West Indies and 2019 Ashes Test.

We toured in 2006 and piled on the runs when the ball wasn't swinging in the Headingley Test, but collapsed like a house of cards against Steve Harmison in Manchester.

Sky ran the stats themselves on our 2016 tour if you don't believe me, OT was even bouncier than The Oval and that's a wicket with a reputation for pace and bounce too.

 

[Saj]

Avoiding a 3-0 defeat will be an achievement for this Pakistan side.

2 of the 4 bowlers are raw.
The batting lacks leaders.
The strength in depth isn't there.

I don't think this will be pretty.

 

[hitthestump]

Avoiding a 3-0 defeat will be an achievement for this Pakistan side.

2 of the 4 bowlers are raw.
The batting lacks leaders.
The strength in depth isn't there.

I don't think this will be pretty.

I agree with this. Every batsman bar Babar will be a walking wicket against Broad and co.

Way too much expectation is being placed on 2 raw inexperienced bowlers. We know Yasir can't bail us out in SENA.

Avoiding a bloodbath would be a good result.

 

[shaz619]

All pakistan fans get the prayer mats ready!

 

[Forum363]

I wouldn't exactly give credit to Misbah for that, considering it was an intra-squad game and 22 players were going to play. I guess he deserves some credit for playing Haider and Imam rather than himself and Younis

Shadab / Faheem were given a chance in a way that suggested they were potentially first team options (in terms of which team they were assigned).

 

[Kroll]

Avoiding a 3-0 defeat will be an achievement for this Pakistan side.

2 of the 4 bowlers are raw.
The batting lacks leaders.
The strength in depth isn't there.

I don't think this will be pretty.

Agreed, will need Babar to play to his full potential and some luck.

 

[cricketfan11]

This is not so much a test for Pakistani batsmen as it is for the coaching staff.

Pakistan have been training for for a few weeks in England under Younis and Misbah has been around for a while now. If they can't deliver in this series there is a problem. If the openers fail or the middle order give inconsistent performances which is the norm, then that is to be expected, but the coaching staff really need to take the players' performance to a higher level.

Shaheen and Abbas are good with the new ball but England's bowlers are better. England's bowling has the edge and their batting unquestionably has an edge.

I hope this isn't the continuation of the same excuse, "We are learning etc" following defeat.

I feel sorry for Fawad Alam, he might get a chance but he will be vulnerable, this is definitely not a series to make a comeback!

England have just had tremendous match practice, they bounced back after the first Test defeat and they are looking good.

 

[sweep_shot]

Avoiding a 3-0 defeat will be an achievement for this Pakistan side.

2 of the 4 bowlers are raw.
The batting lacks leaders.
The strength in depth isn't there.

I don't think this will be pretty.

I was checking the ranking predictor.

If Pakistan lose 0-3, they may go below West Indies in ranking (8th).

 

[cricketfan11]

Yasir has a good record in England, Shadab is too inexperienced to be tried in the first Test and reportedly Shadab looked out of form in the practice matches.

Despite Yasir's terrible form once the ball gets old he might be the best option they have.

 

[Junaids]

Yasir has a good record in England, Shadab is too inexperienced to be tried in the first Test and reportedly Shadab looked out of form in the practice matches.

Despite Yasir's terrible form once the ball gets old he might be the best option they have.

Yasir has a terrible record in England. Two final innings successes, but two gigantic failures - including 1-213 at this ground, Old Trafford.

Yasir Shah averages 43.50 in England. That is rubbish!

 

[Junaids]

Avoiding a 3-0 defeat will be an achievement for this Pakistan side.

2 of the 4 bowlers are raw.
The batting lacks leaders.
The strength in depth isn't there.

I don't think this will be pretty.

I don’t think that’s good enough.

Pakistan with a young team drew 1-1 there two years ago.

Since then England have only added Archer, while Pakistan has added Naseem and Shaheen.

It is Misbah’s responsibility that he took a team with 8 players aged in their twenties and converted it into one with 7 players aged in their thirties, 1 teenager and only 3 in their twenties.

Mickey Arthur had completed the transition to a younger team. And Misbah has reversed it and picked players long past their peak.

 

[Arsal_AK]

Yasir has a terrible record in England. Two final innings successes, but two gigantic failures - including 1-213 at this ground, Old Trafford.

Yasir Shah averages 43.50 in England. That is rubbish!

And given his fitness and form at the moment, it will be a miracle if this average doesn't go up substantially. Those two tests were in 2017, where he was at his best or had just started to decline.

He is basically the Azhar Ali equivalent of our bowling.

 

[WhenSultansBowled]

Our batting is so fragile...

I'm tired of mediocre mindset of our selectors.

 

[MenInG]

I was checking the ranking predictor.

If Pakistan lose 0-3, they may go below West Indies in ranking (8th).

and a 2-1 win for Pak could propel them to 5 , a 3-0 and we will be 4th!

 

[Junaids]

and a 2-1 win for Pak could propel them to 5 , a 3-0 and we will be 4th!

The points table is irrelevant now that there is an actual World Test Championship.

And if Pakistan win 1-0 or 2-1 or 2-0, winning the remaining Test against Bangladesh will lift them up to 3rd place.

 

[tyron_woodley]

win the toss. toss matters. Anyone who disagrees should quit watching krikut...

Anyway Pakistan's bowling is pretty mediocre however English conditions may suit them. I think it's a 50 50. Not to mention pakistan usually adapt better o English conditions a smart of their batsmen play in county.

 

[PakLFC]

If overcast then we should bowl first otherwise batting would be the way to go. Seeing Pak's luck the match could be cancelled for the strangest reasons no one has thought off.

 

[sweep_shot]

win the toss. toss matters. Anyone who disagrees should quit watching krikut...

Anyway Pakistan's bowling is pretty mediocre however English conditions may suit them. I think it's a 50 50. Not to mention pakistan usually adapt better o English conditions a smart of their batsmen play in county.

Nobody can control the toss. Also, a good team should never rely on toss.

 

[sweep_shot]

and a 2-1 win for Pak could propel them to 5 , a 3-0 and we will be 4th!

That's right.

I think Pakistan have a better chance this time because England haven't been great in Test format lately.

 

[KingOfPakBreakfast]

I don’t think that’s good enough.

Pakistan with a young team drew 1-1 there two years ago.

Since then England have only added Archer, while Pakistan has added Naseem and Shaheen.

It is Misbah’s responsibility that he took a team with 8 players aged in their twenties and converted it into one with 7 players aged in their thirties, 1 teenager and only 3 in their twenties.

Mickey Arthur had completed the transition to a younger team. And Misbah has reversed it and picked players long past their peak.

I think you're discounting the element of grit that's now been added to the England batting ranks. The flashiness of Stokes, Buttler and Root has been complemented by the dour 'don't-lose-my-wicket-at-any-cost' approach of Burns and Sibley. We also don't quite know the ceiling of Pope and Crawley.

That said, the England batting lineup has not faced Shaheen and Naseem at all in Test cricket, whilst their four new lads have not faced Abbas in the previous test series. That may have a bearing on the state of play..

 

[Junaids]

If There are overcast conditions on day 1, you back your bowlers to bowl out the opposition in 3 sessions. You then ride out batting days 2 and 3, in easier batting conditions whilst tiring out the England attack. By the time you're bowling on day four, the wicket is dry enough to make Yasir Shah a factor. This may sound idealistic, but you don't get into a test series with pessimism.

However, since you are the knowledge source of everything ever, you may disagree

I'm from Manchester. I have been going to Old Trafford to watch cricket for 44 years.

It's always overcast - it's Manchester.

But you always always always bat first. Overhead conditions rarely make much difference to be honest, but the wicket wears worse than other English wickets. You won't score more than 220 to win on Day 5 and you won't bowl England out on Day 1 for less than 300.

You pray that you win the toss and bat first. Because even with Anderson, if England wins the toss they are going to bat.

 

[PakLFC]

Dosto Manchester equals bad weather. I've got my fingers crescented

 

[Abdullah719]

Pics from training session today.

Spoiler

 

[Abdullah719]

Comments on Pakistan from Woakes:

“Pakistan are always a competitive team. They’ve got good experience and some exciting young players, especially some exciting young fast-bowlers. We know it’ll be a tough challenge. We’ve played them enough especially at home to know they’re always a challenge and competitive.”

“Pakistan can be competitive anywhere in the world, they always put up a good fight. We’re gonna have a good series on our hands here and hopefully we can rise up to the challenge and come out on top.”

 

[ask_analyse_act]

I'm from Manchester. I have been going to Old Trafford to watch cricket for 44 years.

It's always overcast - it's Manchester.

But you always always always bat first. Overhead conditions rarely make much difference to be honest, but the wicket wears worse than other English wickets. You won't score more than 220 to win on Day 5 and you won't bowl England out on Day 1 for less than 300.

You pray that you win the toss and bat first. Because even with Anderson, if England wins the toss they are going to bat.

The problem is if pak bat first under overcast conditions they can be bundled out for 110 or even under 100. Which will end the test in 3 days. No need to worry about the 5th day. England cant be bundled less than 300 vs pak can be bundled for under 100.

 

[MenInG]

Comments on Pakistan from Woakes:

“Pakistan are always a competitive team. They’ve got good experience and some exciting young players, especially some exciting young fast-bowlers. We know it’ll be a tough challenge. We’ve played them enough especially at home to know they’re always a challenge and competitive.”

“Pakistan can be competitive anywhere in the world, they always put up a good fight. We’re gonna have a good series on our hands here and hopefully we can rise up to the challenge and come out on top.”

Chris Woakes insists he is happy to remain England's unsung hero as they prepare for the first Test against Pakistan at Emirates Old Trafford.

The bowling all-rounder was integral to England's series win over the West Indies, taking five wickets on the final day of the third Test to bowl Joe Root's side to victory in Manchester but with Stuart Broad claiming his 500th Test wicket the same day, Woakes again went under the radar.

It is something he has had to get used to with England greats Broad and James Anderson, as well as fast bowlers Jofra Archer and Mark Wood, often taking the headlines despite Woakes' consistently impressive displays, particularly in home conditions.

"I honestly really don't mind. I'm not one for being centre of attention," he told reporters.

"Don't get me wrong, I want to go out on the field and perform and I want to make match-winning performances for England but it really doesn't bother me if I'm first choice to write about or not, to be brutally honest.

"My stats have been mentioned and they're very good in England, I want to keep working on those, keep improving on them and making them as good as they can be. At my age and where I am now at 31, it's unlikely that I'm going to go on and get 500 Test wickets like Jimmy and Broady but I still want to go on and get as many as I can individually.

"I still feel like I can provide really good services to England for many more years to come so I'm happy with how it works and as long as I continue to be able to represent England then I'll be happy."

Alastair Cook says England are lucky to have Stuart Broad because he 'always delivers when it matters' in Test cricket
Even with 81 wickets at 22.53 in home Tests and a five-for in his last outing, Woakes cannot even be guaranteed a place in the XI for the series opener against Pakistan - let alone a starring role - such is the competition for places among the England seamers.

But the World Cup winner says it has made training very interesting.

"It makes practice intense," Woakes said. "I think the batters will speak volumes on that.

"Down at the Ageas Bowl when we were training in prep for the West Indies series, it was extremely high intensity practice and the nets were doing a bit as well so the batters found it hard work. The bowlers are trying to force their way into the team and that is only a good thing.

"I hope that I have done enough to be in that starting XI. But competition is high at the minute, we've still got two of England's greats charging in and taking wickets every time they play and we've got exciting fast bowlers as well.

"It's not an easy team to just be cemented in. My record in England is brilliant, I'm obviously pleased with that, I want to keep getting better and improving myself and every time I get the opportunity to play for England, whether it is home or away, I'm giving 110 per cent and trying to do my best for the team."

With three Tests in as many weeks, England's rest and rotation of their fast bowlers is likely to continue against Pakistan, who have an exciting pace attack of their own and will be aiming to extend a stretch of 10 years since they lost a series to England.

"Pakistan are always a competitive team," said Woakes. "They've got good experience and some exciting young players, as they always do. Some exciting fast bowlers as well. We know they are going to be a tough challenge.

"We've played them enough now, particularly in our home conditions, to know that they're always a challenge and always competitive.

"We look at every opposition and think that they are going to be hard work, we know that we're going to have to be at our best. We'll do out homework as best as we can, analyse as much as we can and then try and go out and do the business."

https://www.skysports.com/cricket/n...sung-hero-amid-intense-competition-for-places

 

[MenInG]

England all-rounder Ben Stokes bowled at training on Monday as he strives for full fitness for the first Test against Pakistan which starts on Wednesday.

Stokes, 29, did not bowl in the third Test against West Indies because of a quad injury, instead playing as a specialist batsman.

Although England are yet to decide if Stokes will bowl against Pakistan, early signs are positive.

He bowled at good pace in the middle, and later in the nets to Zak Crawley.

If Stokes is fit to bowl in the first Test at Emirates Old Trafford, it would likely mean England revert to picking three frontline seamers and recalling batsman Crawley, rather than playing four seamers as they did in the 269-run win against West Indies last week.

https://www.bbc.com/sport/cricket/53642232

 

[Rajdeep]

It will be a cracker of a series. Normally, I dont watch much cricket unless we are playing. But the fact that we are starving for any cricket this year, I am eagerly waiting for this series. The overall viewership from India will also be very high considering no other cricket going on and we Indians love cricket. Even the WI series had great viewership but this one will have even more.

 

[coy0607]

It will be a cracker of a series. Normally, I dont watch much cricket unless we are playing. But the fact that we are starving for any cricket this year, I am eagerly waiting for this series. The overall viewership from India will also be very high considering no other cricket going on and we Indians love cricket. Even the WI series had great viewership but this one will have even more.

Hopefully Pak batsmen don't totally embarrass themselves, like they do so often in England