How Can Pakistan Rebound for the Oval Test?
With England’s incredible win at
Edgbaston still fresh in the memory, England and Pakistan now head down to The
Oval for the final match of what has been a pulsating four match series. After
dismissing Pakistan in little over two sessions on the final day at Edgbaston,
some commentators now think that England hold the advantage and will wrap up
the series 3-1. In this post, we take a look at a couple of things that
Pakistan can do to turn the tables.
Find
a Way to Stop Chris Woakes
When England first announced their team
for the Lords test match, many were surprised by the inclusion of Chris Woakes,
a man who many thought was “a yard of pace” short of being effective at
international level. However, the work he’s put in over winter and back at
Warwickshire has clearly paid off, with the England quick pickingup 23 wickets so far this series.
With Broad only on 12 wickets, and
Anderson on 8, neutralising the threat of Woakes could give Pakistan a great
chance of building a big total.
Get
Younis Firing
Much of the talk going into the series
was about the strength of Pakistan’s middle order; chiefly Misbah-ul-Haq and
Younis Khan. Misbah was able to set the tempo from the off, scoring 100 at
Lords in the first test. However, Younis is yet to make a score, averagingonly 20 across the three tests in the series, with no half centuries,
Pakistan may consider dropping him, the exclusion of Shan Mahsood from the
previous test shows the selectors are willing to give players the chop.
Younis’ complex trigger movements and
shuffling around the crease have made him a prime candidate for being caught in
the slip cordon, and the pace and swing of Anderson and Woakes has had him in
trouble on multiple occasions. However, Younis is highly experienced in English
conditions, and has over 9,000 test runs to his name. The Oval test is the time
for him to step up and show his worth.
Help
Yasir Find His Magic Again
Finally, at Lords, Yasir Shah was the
difference between the two teams. However, it appears as though England have
found a way to neutralised the fantastic young leg spinner. If Pakistan can win
the toss, bat and get a big total, then the leg spin of Yasir could come into
play on a wearing Oval pitch that usually takes turn. If he finds his magic in
the way he did at Lords, then Pakistan have a great chance of levelling the
series at 2-2.
No matter what happens at The Oval, the
England-Pakistan series has been fantastic, with thousands of English children
looking to pick up the sport. As a result, it’s no surprise that retailers such
as TalentCricket have seen a huge surge in the
numbers of children buying equipment, looking to be the next Yasir Shah or Joe
Root. One thing’s for certain, regardless of whether Pakistan or England
triumph at The Oval, it has been great for the game as a whole.
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