England Stuart Broad thinks that Pakistan team’s bowling attack will be a tough challenge for the English batsmen.
“England can be a very very good place to bowl but also if you get it wrong you can go … and generally the real pace bowlers have struggled with their records in England – the likes of Brett Lee, the guys who might miss their length now and again,” he said.
“But I think Pakistan will pose a pretty dangerous threat because they are very skillful.”
Pakistan is the only Test side that currently has the edge over England, beating them in their last two series played in the UAE in 2012 and last year.
The record has been different on English pitches, however. Pakistan have won nine Tests in England but only twice since 2000 — Old Trafford in 2001 and The Oval in 2010, which was a tour marred by the spot-fixing controversy.
“They’ve got some world-class players,” Broad said of the Pakistan side.
He said his team weren’t “quite good enough” to win the UAE series against Pakistan, but added “we know the dangers they pose”.
Pakistan’s bowling isn’t the only element Broad expects to be a challenge.
“They are a very experienced batting line-up, certainly in the middle order, quite an astute coaching set-up – now with Mushtaq Ahmed involved as well, who has done a lot of work with the English cricket team.”
Broad said he expects the Pakistani players to have “a lot of knowledge” of the English conditions.
“It’s going to be an exciting place for us as a team to be and the fact that it’s the only Test trophy we don’t have.”
