Pakistan can do wonders if they elect to do the right thing after winning the toss!

It was the third consecutive toss that Sarfraz Ahmed won in this ICC World Cup 2019, but it was only the first time he elected to bat, something he should have done against both Australia and India.

In the week leading up to Pakistan's match against South Africa at Lord's, the team was ridiculed and the captain was mocked endlessly. Sarfraz Ahmed's yawn memes went viral and stories of Shoaib Malik's sheesha loving sub-group spread like wildfire.

Despite all this drama and criticism, Pakistan fought back like they always do, showcasing the resilience of the team and the nation.

This Lord's win was special, and Lord's was magical!

Haris Sohail played the innings of his life. I have never seen him bat like this. He has a career strike rate of 85, at Lord's he batted at a strike rate of 150! For someone who had been left on the bench till now, to come back and bat in this manner, was quite awesome.

Aamir, Wahab, and Shadab produced some excellent bowling and ensured that South Africa were never on top. No one defends totals the way Pakistani bowlers do and to watch it live in action is arguably one of the best experiences one can have.

Pakistan's win was surely special, but Lord's was made magical by all the Pakistanis who had flown to London from all around the world.

Lord's was a sea of green and it was quite amazing meeting old friends from LUMS and Abu Dhabi, enjoying the game with my friends from Dubai and London, and making new friends!

The day started with giving an interview to Cricinfo. The passion and belief you see among us is unparalleled.

We were interviewed outside Lord's by two of my favorite cricket writers - Osman Samiuddin and Sharda Ugra.


At the Lord's gate I met two of my college friends with whom I had gone through LUMS two decades ago. One had flown in from San Francisco and the other from Karachi.



























Lord's is a magnificent stadium. It has to be, after all it is the Home of Cricket. Its beauty, the flowers in particular, was pointed out by another old friend from LUMS with whom I had experienced the heartbreak of the World Cup in 1999.


The Lord's media center is fascinating. Probably the best media center at a cricket ground. Here are two of us who flew in from Dubai and one who flew in from San Francisco, with the media center in the background.


Nothing made this Lord's win more special than to witness it with my oldest and closest friend with whom I have gone through every single World Cup since 1996!


I even met guys that I grew up with in Abu Dhabi in the 90s!


And more people that I went to LUMS with twenty years ago...


Ofcourse our London host who moved from Dubai to London just to make this trip possible was also there.


As were two little boys, a four year old and a 3-month old, both experiencing their first ever cricket match inside a stadium. What a match as their first, and what a ground to do it at!


After watching matches together at each others homes, at Dubai International Cricket Stadium, at Premadasa International Cricket Stadium, and The Oval, the Dubai boys have now added Lord's to the list as well.


It was an impressive victory for Pakistan and it was made all the more special by witnessing it together.


It was witnessed not only with old friends, but also with new ones! Here is the lost from San Francisco, the Midlife Crisis Cricket Club - whom I have been chatting away with on Whatsapp Groups and whom I met for the first time yesterday. What a passionate lot of Pakistan cricket fans.


Pakistan's victory at Lord's was special no doubt, but what made Lord's truly magical yesterday was all the Pakistan fans who believed in the team, who flew in for the match from different parts of the world, who witnessed a special knock from Haris Sohail and fiery spells from Aamir, Wahab, and Shadab.

Many said that Pakistan's World Cup will start after the match with India, and it truly has started with this win over South Africa.

We still believe that we can make it to the semifinals and we all will be there in Birmingham on Wednesday to get Pakistan one step closer to the knockout stages.

Come on PAKISTAAAAAN!

Two weeks ago, after Pakistan's test match against Ireland, I wrote about why Mohammad Abbas was Pakistan's new pace spearhead.

In that article, I showed that Abbas has an average, strike rate, and economy among the world's best in the past year since his debut, and that he is also Pakistan's second highest wicket taker in Tests in this period.

At Lord's, Abbas lived up to this new reputation of being Pakistan's pace spearhead, picking up the man of the match award for his 8-64, the best bowling figures by a Pakistani pacer at Lord's.
Abbas' 8 wickets at Lord's took his tally to 40 wickets after just 7 test matches at an exemplary average of 16.6.

No other bowler in the world has a better average than Abbas does in the period starting from 21 April 2017 (min 20 wickets).

He is a clear 1.4 runs per wicket ahead than the next best average. His economy rate and strike rate are also right up there.

Abbas' 40 wicket in just 7 tests is the highest tally of wickets after 7 tests among all Pakistan test bowlers.

He is miles ahead of legends like Imran Khan, Wasim Akram, and Waqar Younis were and also significantly ahead of his peers, including Yasir Shah who holds the Pakistan record of being the fastest to reach 50 wickets.

Abbas' average and economy rate after 7 tests is also significantly better of all other Pakistan test bowlers at the same stage of their respective careers; while his strike rate is slightly behind only Mohammad Asif's.

While there are many bowlers who have taken more wickets in their first 7 tests, almost all of them belonged to another era.

In more recent times, only Vernon Philander with 51 wickets was ahead of where Abbas is after 7 tests.

Besides that, everyone from Glenn McGrath, to Allan Donald, Shaun Pollock Dale Steyn, James Anderson, Stuart Broad, Courtney Walsh, Curtley Ambrose, Malcolm Marshall and even the likes of Kapil Dev, Richard Hadlee, Sir Ian Botham, and Dennis Lillee had fewer wickets than Abbas does after 7 wickets.

That is quite a list of name that he has bettered.

The yesteryear bowlers from another era who had many more wickets than 40 after 7 tests include the likes of Sydney Barnes, George Lohmann, Frank Tyson, Rodney Hogg, erry Alderman, Charlie Turner, Alf Valentine, and few others.

Mohammad Abbas has had a sterling start to his test career and he is forging full speed ahead as Pakistan's main pace spearhead. He has a long road ahead but with the start he has had, he is already miles ahead of all the legends that ever bowled for Pakistan.

Lords of Lord's, Lords of London, Oval Hero, have all been used in recent days and over the past 60 odd years to describe Pakistan's dominance over England, especially in tests played at Lord's, as well as, at the other ground in London - the Oval.

London has a special place in Pakistani hearts and it has truly been a significant location for a lot of cricket success that Pakistan has had over the years.

The World T20 Final in 2009 was won in London, at Lord's.

The ICC Champions Trophy Final in 2017 was won in London, at the Oval.

Pakistan won their first ever test outside the subcontinent in London in 1954, at the Oval.

Both Lord's and the Oval are part of Pakistan's cricket history and besides Australia, there is no other team in the world that has had as much success as Pakistan has had against England in London.

Here's a look at some amazing Pakistan cricket feats in London.

Test Victories at Lord's
Pakistan's win over England in the 1st test of the series was their 5th test win at Lord's. This is the second most victories for a touring team at Lord's, behind Australia's 17.

Pakistan have the second best W/L ratio and Win % at Lord's among all touring sides.

Test Victories at the Oval
Even though Pakistan's 5 wins at the Oval are behind West Indies' 6 and Australia's 7, Pakistan's W/L ratio and Win % at the Oval is the best among all visiting teams.

In fact, no other team has won more games at the Oval than they have lost, while Pakistan have a lead of 2 over England.

Test Victories in London
When it comes to test performance in London, combining the tests played at Lord's and the Oval, then there is no team that comes close to Pakistan's dominance over England.

Pakistan's W/L ratio and Win % in London tests is significantly better than all other visiting teams.

Pakistan Test Captains at Lord's
With this win over England, Pakistan captain Sarfraz Ahmed joined the likes of Imran Khan, Javed Miandad, Wasim Akram, and Misbah Ul Haq as the Pakistan captains who have led their teams to test wins at Lord's.

Leading Pacers at Lord's and London
Mohammad Aamir picked up 5 wickets in the just concluded Lord's test and his 2 wickets in 3 deliveries were crucial in scripting this historic victory for Pakistan.

Aamir's 5 wicket burst brought him into the top 10 wicket takers among visiting team pacers at Lord's. He is now the joint 6th highest wicket taking visiting pacer at Lord's with a few legends ahead of him.

Among Pakistan's bowlers, Aamir has more wickets at Lord's than any other pacer and spinner. He has surpassed the feats of Pakistan's 2 Ws, Imran Khan, and Pakistan's legendary leg spinners.

Overall, in tests played in London, Aamir is third on Pakistan's list of bowlers, very slightly behind the legends Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis in terms of wickets tally.

Leading Spinners at Lord's
Yasir Shah's 10-141 at Lord's that led Pakistan to victory in 2016 is the second best match haul by a visiting spinner at Lord's, behind only off spinner Sonny Ramadhin's 11 wicket feat in 1950.

Yasir's 6-72 in the first innings of that Lord's test is also the second best innings haul by a visiting spinner at Lord's, behind off spinner Marcus North's 6-55.

Among leg spinners, Yasir's innings and match hauls are right there at the top.

Yasir's average of 14.1 and strike rate of 36.0 at Lord's are also second best among all visiting spinners.

Not many teams and individuals come close to Pakistan and its cricketers' achievements at Lord's and in overall in London.

They have faced more success than any other visiting in London and have just become the only team to win two back to back tests at Lord's in recent times.

They have won two ICC trophies in London and they will have the opportunity to win the one that they haven't when the ICC World Cup comes to London next year!

Pakistan have truly earned the tag of being the Lords of London and with the way this young team is playing right now, it seems like they will be holding on to this tag for some time to come.

I am not a fan of wicket keepers playing at 6 and a test eleven comprising 5 batsmen and 5 bowlers including a couple of allrounders.

In limited overs cricket, sure that is ideal; but in test matches, definitely not.

I am a traditionalist who believes that test cricket is a game for specialists.

6 batsmen, wicket keeper, 4 bowlers.

That is the combination to play in a test.

If some of the batsmen can bowl and some bowlers can bat then great, but essentially they need to be a force in their specialist department.

That is the combination that West Indies used to dominate world cricket for two decades. That is the combination that Australia used to rule world cricket for a decade and a half. That is the combination that Misbah's Pakistan used to remain unbeaten in the UAE and reach the number 1 ranking in test cricket.

There is no reason to change that balance.

Australia didn't do it with Adam Gilchrist, even though he could easily fit into the top 6 of any test nation.

Even England are playing this test at Lord's with this combination.

Pakistan changed it around against Ireland, pushing Sarfraz Ahmed up to 6.

I did not like it but thought maybe they can afford to against a first time test nation; however they went into this Lord's test with the same combination and I thought it was criminal.

I found it extremely strange that after losing your two best and most experienced test batsmen in Misbah and Younis, Pakistan's leadership decided to sacrifice another batsman and play an additional bowler.

One would think that an additional batsman would be required to fill the gap left open by Misbah's and Younis' departure.

Instead Pakistan have gone into tests in bowler friendly conditions with 5 batsmen, Sarfraz at 6, and 5 bowlers.

I don't like it. I feel it makes Pakistan's batting look weak. Sarfraz is not a top 6 test batsman. Some may argue that he averages 40+ in tests and he is good enough to bat at 6, but his form over the past two years has not been good and to promote him at a time like this just does not seem right.

Having said all this, seeing how Shadab Khan and Faheem Ashraf have batted at 7 and 8 respectively in these two tests has made me rethink my stance.

Shadab has played innings of 55, 4*, and 52 in 3 innings against Ireland and England.

Faheem has innings of 83 and 37 in these two tests.

The two came together to take Pakistan out of a precarious situation against Ireland when they were reduced to 159-6. Shadab and Faheem forged a partnership of 117 runs in quick time and ensured Pakistan got a healthy first innings total.

In the ongoing test at Lord's, they again contributed with a steady partnership of 70 odd ensuring that Pakistan did not end their first innings with only a lead of 50.

Pakistan's lead in excess of 165 is due to the way Shadab and Faheem batted.

The duos current form is covering up for Sarfraz' constant failures at 6.

The duos current form has strengthened Pakistan's batting significantly.

It also allows some batsmen to be a bit more aggressive.

It is heartening to see two young allrounders like Shadab and Faheem put on strong performances in just the first few tests, that too in foreign conditions where subcontinental teams take time to adjust.

They are taking wickets, they are scoring runs, they are fielding well - they both provide Pakistan a rare luxury of having two genuine allrounders that are good enough to play all three formats.

I am extremely impressed with the discipline Shadab has shown while batting. And I am extremely impressed by the dominance and aggression that Faheem bats with. Faheem has an amazing straight bat and I believe he is one of the best batsmen in the side.

Number 8 seems too low for someone like Faheem and I reckon he has the ability to be a long term number 6 for Pakistan in all formats.

While I am still not a fan of the combination that Pakistan is playing, I am pleased that they did as it provided all of us the chance to witness the start of two very promising careers of Shadab Khan and Faheem Ashraf.

On Thursday, Pakistan will take the field against England for the 15th time in a test match at Lord's, the home of cricket (16th overall with the one test they played there against Australia in 2010).

Here is a look at some Test cricket history for Pakistan at Lord's.

PAKISTAN VS ENGLAND AT LORD'S
Since 1954, Pakistan and England have squared off in 14 tests at Lord's with 4 wins apiece. Pakistan leveled the playing field by winning the most recent test played at Lord's in 2016.

PAKISTAN TEST CAPTAINS AT LORD's
Sarfraz Ahmed will become the 14th Pakistan captain to lead them in a test match at Lord's. Only Imran Khan and Intikhab Alam had captained Pakistan twice at Lord's.

PAKISTAN TEST BATSMEN ON LORD'S HONOR BOARD
7 batsmen from Pakistan have scored test centuries at Lord's with Mohammad Yousuf's epic 202 in 2006 the highest score by a Pakistani in a Lord's test.

Misbah Ul Haq's 114 at Lord's in 2016 is the most recent test century scored by a Pakistan batsman at the home of cricket.

PAKISTAN TEST BOWLERS ON LORD'S HONOR BOARD
6 bowlers from Pakistan have picked up a 5 wicket haul in an innings at Lord's and 1, Yasir Shah, is the only bowler from Pakistan with a 10 wicket match haul at Lord's, which came in the same test as Misbah's century, the last time Pakistan played at the home of cricket.

It is going to be an intriguing contest starting on Thursday. At least 6 players from Pakistan will be playing their first test at Lord's.

Skipper Sarfraz Ahmed, Azhar Ali, Asad Shafiq, Mohammad Aamir, and Rahat Ali are the only survivors in the squad from the eleven that played at Lord's just two years ago.

Azhar Ali and Mohammad Aamir were there in 2010 as well when Pakistan played at Lord's twice - against England and against Australia.

Azhar Ali in fact made his test debut at Lord's in 2010. Both he and Aamir will be playing their 4th test at Lord's joining legends like Wasim Akram, Javed Miandad, Inzamam Ul Haq, and Mushtaq Mohammad, all of whom have played 4 tests at Lord's.

The most capped test cricketer at Lord's from Pakistan is Wasim Bari who has played 5 tests at Lord's.

Performing at Lord's and getting your named inked on the honors board is a dream for all cricketers. From the current squad, Aamir is already there and he would love to get his name there again.

For Azhar Ali, this might be the perfect opportunity given he is the senior most batsmen in the side and has finally found some form on tour.

Even first timers like Abbas and Imam will be geared up for this moment.

I am placing my bets on the teenage leg spinner, Shadab Khan. His performance against Ireland was impressive and with England always suspect against spin, I feel Shadab has a great chance to follow in the footsteps of Mushtaq Ahmed and Yasir Shah.

A Pakistan vs England series is always exciting and I can't wait for the action to start at Lord's this Thursday!

Fakhar Zaman finally got a match on tour and he wasted no time in showing what Pakistan had been missing.

Why he was left out of the two tour matches before the test against Ireland still remains a mystery.

With Zaman scoring a fluent 71 off 98 deliveries, Pakistan have an interesting problem at hand.

Imam is of course the in-form opener currently. Azhar Ali had woefully been out of form, however considering he is the senior most batsman in the squad, his place was never in danger. Add to that his 73 against Leicestershire and he is a sure starter against England at Lord's.

So where does Fakhar Zaman fit in?

He surely needs to play.


He is too good a batsman to be sitting on the bench and Pakistan can benefit plenty from his aggressive stroke play at the top of the order.

I will go with Fakhar and Imam opening the innings and Azhar moving down to number 3.

Asad, Babar, and Haris can follow giving a Pakistan a strong top 6.

They need to go in with 6 batsmen with Sarfraz at 7 and not the combination they went in with against Ireland.

Unfortunately Faheem may have to miss out, despite a great performance with the bat in his debut test against Ireland, as I do not see him as the third pacer. As a fourth seam option, like he was against Ireland, he is fine.

It is time for Fakhar Zaman to don the whites for Pakistan and it will be quite a moment if he is given this opportunity at the home of cricket this Thursday!

At the end of day 1 of the first test, Misbah became the first Pakistan captain to score a century at Lord's in 24 years.

On day 2, Yasir Shah became the first Pakistani leg spinner to take a 5 wicket haul at Lord's in 20 years.

Such is the class act that this Pakistan team is.

Both Misbah and Yasir were realizing their dreams playing their first test in England at Lord's; both of them had to prove to their critics that their recent success had not been only due to helpful conditions in the UAE but due to their own determination; both of them managed to do this and more forever engraving their names on the Lord's honors board.

Yasir not only became the first leg spinner from Pakistan since Mushtaq Ahmed in 1996 to pick up 5 wickets at Lord's; he became the first leg spinner from anywhere in the world to do so!

Only the second leg spinner in 20 years to achieve this feat.

Yasir now finds himself on an honors board that does not have the names of Shane Warne, Anil Kumble, Muttiah Muralitharan. The best leg spinners / spinners in the world never managed 5 wickets at the home of cricket.

Yasir's achievement is even more impressive considering that the last time a leg spinner picked up 5 wickets in the first innings at Lord's was in 1967! Almost half a century ago!

That is how special Yasir Shah is.



He was the fastest bowler from Pakistan to reach 50 test wickets; took him only 9 tests.

Now in only 13 tests, he has 82 wickets, which is the most any bowler has ever had after 13 test matches.

He is well on his way in becoming the fastest bowler from Pakistan to reach 100 test wickets; the current record is 19 tests held by Saeed Ajmal.

If Yasir can manage 18 wickets in the next innings at Lord's and the following 3 test matches, which is extremely likely considering the way he bowled in the first inning at Lord's, Yasir will equal a record that has been standing strong for 120 years now!

In 1896, George Lohmann reached 100 test wickets in only his 16th test. Since then, no one has managed it that quickly.

Given Yasir's current form and England's ability against leg spin, I reckon Yasir can get there in 15.

We all might just see history in the making in Birmingham during the first week of August.

In less than an hour, Pakistan and England will start the first test of their series at the home of cricket, Lord's.

For all cricketers, it is a dream to play at Lord's. Some realize this dream early in their careers, while others at the twilight.

For Pakistan's 42-year old captain, Misbah Ul Haq, this will be his first test at Lord's. His first in England.

Unfortunately, Pakistan don't schedule international test tours as frequently as other Asian teams like India and Sri Lanka. It is unfortunate that in a test career that began in 2001 and has spanned 60 odd test matches, with the majority since 2007, Misbah has not played a single test in England or Australia.

However, at the same time, it is a dream come true for him. This tour marks a full circle of Misbah's captaincy tenure, which started after the demoralizing tour to England in 2010. Since then he has led Pakistan's team in whites with aplomb and is today the most successful captain in Pakistan's test history.

Many cricketers dream of playing a test at Lord's; Misbah would not have thought that he would realize it at 42. 

Another cricketer who probably thought that he would never play cricket again, let alone play at Lord's, is Mohammad Aamer.

Lord's is the scene of his crime that almost ended his career way too prematurely. Having served his punishment and returned to white ball cricket for Pakistan since the start of the year, Aamer is all geared up for his return to test cricket at the venue where he lost 5 years of a promising career.

The build up to Aamer's return has been as expected with a number of current and former England cricketers and the British media reminding the world of what he did in 2010. The England captain has also warned Aamer about the possible abuse he may receive from the crowd at Lord's.

Pakistan's cricketers have been supportive like a bunch of elder brothers looking to protect the problem child. While other supporters, like myself, cannot wait to see Aamer back in action.

Aamer might have dreamed of playing for Pakistan again, but he would have never thought that he would resume his career at Lord's!

Shan Masood recently spoke about living in St. John's Wood, walking and jogging around the neighborhood, and thinking about playing at Lord's every time he passed by the gates. That is quite some story for this opener who has gradually cemented his place in Pakistan's Test XI.

For Shan, stepping into Lord's as a Pakistan test cricketer, is a very filmy story. I can just picture this Pakistani kid standing outside the Lord's gates and imagining himself playing a cover drive before continuing on his jog and dreaming about playing cricket for Pakistan.

Shan dreamed about playing for Pakistan, he dreamed about playing at Lord's, and today he will realize that dream is Pakistan's first choice test opener.

Besides Younis Khan, Azhar Ali, Wahab Riaz, and Mohammad Aamer none of the players from Pakistan's test squad have played at Lord's.

Today is going to be a dream come for all of them, however it will be a bit more special for Misbah, Aamer, and Shan.

I've been running around but I've caught some cricket in between; I caught England's 75-year-misery-wiping-out win at Lord's and also some of the action from the 3rd test between Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

Here's some stuff that I found quite difficult to believe.

Were there in Melbourne in 1992 when Pakistan lifted a World Cup trophy.

Were there in Lahore in 1996 when Sri Lanka lifted a World Cup trophy.

Were there at Lord's in 1999 when Pakistan failed in a World Cup final.

Were there at Barbados in 2007 when Sri Lanka failed to lift a World Cup trophy.

Were there at Johannesburg when Pakistan missed a World Cup trophy by 5 runs.

All of them will be there at Lord's tomorrow when Pakistan and Sri Lanka try once again to lift a World Cup trophy.