England will face Pakistan with an unchanged squad that let them vanquish West Indies and clinch the Wisden Trophy at Old Trafford even after losing the first Test match.
Englishmen had a fair share of magical moments against the Caribbean squad which will boost their morale when they will face Pakistan — the team having a decent record against England and the only side to score 500 plus in the Test against England in their home ground since 2016. Pakistan will be having a pace arsenal for which they are best known.
Joe Root had a tough time finding his opening pair since Alaister Cook retired from the game, but the phenomenal performance from Don Sibley and Rory Burns ended the quest for a panacea. Sibley and Burns were the second and third highest run-scorers respectively in the matches England played lately.
Root, at number 3, has a habit of consolidating singles into doubles and is widely regarded as someone who rises above all the big occasions. Though England skipper didn’t have an exceptional performance particularly against West Indies, the kind of status he has earned in International cricket for himself is enough to understand that he can never be underestimated and overlooked.
In the short span of two years, Ollie Pope, 22 is youngest in the squad and has impressed everyone with an average of 44 plus, having one century and four fifties in ten international Test matches. His poor performances in the first two test matches must have put pressure on him. As an old proverb says, “Champion keeps trying till it gets right,” Pope exactly did the same in the third Test, a do-or-diesituation for his team.
In the first inning, when England needed a stable partnership, Pope built up a strong partnership with Jose Buttler, ferrying the team from 122/4 to 258/4. Pope showed the phenomenal character of being a test player, and in the future, if he is given proper guidance and opportunities in the series against Pakistan, he will impress everyone.
Ben Stokes and Jos Buttler have enough experience in their kit which would provide enough depth to the team against Pakistan’s bowling-hardened team. Stokes, currently at the peak of his career, is earning a lot of paeans from critics across the globe. He has been magical with bat and bowl and has led his team to the victory time and again. Pakistan will certainly have to prepare a strategy to put reins on him.
Stokes is a top-notch allrounder, rated at number three Test batsman ahead of Pakistan’s Babar Azam. His century and fifty in first and second innings respectively, and wickets at crucial stages, earned him Man of The Match in the second Test against the Caribbeans. He is certainly going to give a tough time to the Pakistan bowlers if he continues with the kind of temperament he is.
England’s tail-enders can never be underestimated either as they have the skill to put on a partnership. Chris Woakes and Stuart Broad have a fair share of experience of batting at critical junctures.
The series against Pakistan is going to be a cliffhanging show, as both the teams have a fine balance of experienced and newcomers.