England in driving seat
LESS than four weeks have passed since Pakistan wrapped up a rousing victory at Lord’s in the first Test, capped by a military-inspired set of press-ups in front of the pavilion, but they return to London with very little of that inspirational vim remaining.
Trips to Manchester and Birmingham have resulted in two strength-sapping defeats and it is now England who are flexing their muscles before the Oval encounter.
From entering the series ranked fourth in the world, and thanks to Australia’s unexpected capitulation in Sri Lanka, England can suddenly see a shortcut to No 1.
That would require victory in the final Test and a 3-1 series scoreline (as well as West Indies to hold off India in one of their two remaining matches), but they are moving in the right direction regardless.
In contrast to their tightly drilled ascent to No 1 five years ago, England seem a little surprised to have found themselves wandering around the summit so soon – and Alastair Cook is sticking to his line that they have plenty to learn, whatever the rankings say.
An improvement on their record in the final Test of a series is clearly the next matter to address. A draw at The Oval would be enough to give England all nine series trophies, but a win would underline the sense of progress more emphatically.
In recent times England have finished off Test tours with defeats in Centurion, Sharjah and Barbados, while last summer they were beaten at The Oval and Headingley. Such flakiness is unbecoming of a side with aspirations to be the best in the world.
Another reason to guard against complacency is Pakistan’s good record at The Oval. Putting aside the memory of their forfeiture in 2006 (a game in which they were well placed), Pakistan have secured several memorable wins in south London, including Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis reverse-swinging their way through England in 1992, and victory on their most recent visit six years ago.
By contrast, since England clinched the 2009 Ashes on this ground, they have only beaten India (in 2011 and 2014), while suffering three defeats and a draw.
Pakistan will always have Lord’s, and this tour will be remembered for Misbah-ulHaq’s hundred, the heroics of Yasir Shah and the return of Mohammad Amir.
But they have a chance to leave with even better memories if they can pull it all together again back in the capital – not to mention an outside shot of reaching No 1 themselves with a drawn series.
Having struggled against Pakistan’s left-armers, Alex Hales finally produced a substantial contribution with the bat in the second innings at Edgbaston, putting on a vital century stand to help erase England’s deficit.
However, he is still waiting for the defining, three-figure innings that will secure his tenure as Test opener.
The final Test of the English summer is often the occasion for auditions, but Hales is hoping to shut the door on prospective top-order newcomers.
As the tour has gone on, confidence in Pakistan’s batting has steadily eroded. The fortunes of Misbah and Younis Khan have been divergent, but they have common cause to try finish the series with heads and bats held high.
Misbah has coped admirably with the conditions on his first Test experience of England, but another defeat would doubtless trigger talk about his age and the captaincy. Younis, though four years younger, is also unlikely to be back again and, 15 years after his first tour of England, is in need of an innings to stave off talk of retirement.
Cook said England were hoping to play the same team, which would mean Adil Rashid and Jake Ball missing out again. James Vince has recovered from a finger injury, but won’t field in the slips.
Mickey Arthur hinted at various options for Pakistan’s selection, with the need for a fifth bowler even more pressing in the second of back-toback Tests.
If Iftikhar Ahmed wins a Test debut, he would probably come into the side at Mohammad Hafeez’s expense, but bat in the middle order, with Azhar Ali asked to open.
A rare four-Test series has increased the workload on Pakistan’s pace bowlers and there may also be changes to the attack. – cricinfo