ENGLAND VS PAKISTAN : 2nd TEST REVIEW

ENGLAND VS PAKISTAN :

 2nd TEST REVIEW

Against all odds, Jos Buttler and Chris Woakes rearguard action snatched victory from Pakistan's jaws in the first test at old Trafford. The first encounter between these two teams was a perfect example of test match cricket at it's wonderful, gripping, inimitable best. We all saw a rare , rare fourth innings chase that too after going five down for just 117. England pacer Stuart Broad has been fined 15% of his match fee and handed one demerit point by match referee Chris Broad for using inappropriate language. This reminds me of my teenage years . The next two matches will be played at Ageas Bowl, Southampton .

TEAM NEWS 

1. ENGLAND : Ben Stokes, England's ace all rounder, will miss the remaining two tests against Pakistan for family reasons. So how will England go about balancing the side in Stoke's absence as they look to preserve their stellar record of going unbeaten in Test series at home since 2014 ? Here are a few ideas.

• Crawley Returns : The simple solution and something that will surely happen . The Kent youngster did nothing wrong to lose his place and has looked a classy performer. since debuting in South Africa. Crawley returning at No.3 would allow England's skipper Joe Root to move to his favoured no.4 spot where he averages 49.23 compared to 38.66 at first down position. 

• Six Batsmen, A Keeper and 4 Seamers? :Had Buttler been better with the gloves, Dom Bess could have picked up more than two wickets in the first test but the stark fact remains the same that he is averaging 46 in 4 tests this summer. In my view the best balanced attack is not one that contains a front line seamer but one that can take 20 wickets. 

Jofra Archer might be rested seeing his past injury problems. So Mark Wood might be the fast bowler on display .

Predicted 11 : Rory Burns,Dom Sibley,Zak Crawley, Joe Root (c), Ollie Pope, Jos Buttler (wk), Chris Woakes, Stuart Broad, Dom Bess, Jofra Archer/Mark Wood, James Anderson.

2. PAKISTAN: Nasser Hussain believes "World Class" Babar Azam is  on the same level as Virat Kohli and Steve Smith and will be key if Pakistan are to beat England. Why Change a tried and tested formula? Pakistan played exceptional cricket for 80% of the test match but their lethargic attitude in the last phase of match cost them the win. It will be interesting to see if they again go with two spinners or Faheem Ashraf comes in place of Shadab Khan but I think they should go ahead with the same lineup barring injuries .

Predicted 11 : Shan Masood, Abid Ali, Azhar Ali (c),Babar Azam, Asad Shafiq, Rizwan(wk), Shadab Khan / Faheem Ashraf,Yasir Shah, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Mohd. Abbas.