Pakistan are one match away from winning their first Test series in England since 1996. That arguably the least fancied of any of the sides to have toured England since then is on the verge of pulling it off underscores just how momentous the achievement would be.
After the emphatic triumph in the first Test at Lord’s Pakistan only need a draw to seal the series. However, given the conditions, the fragility of the two batting lineups and indeed the bowling on either side, a stalemate is significantly unlikely – unless of course the notorious English weather becomes a factor.
That means that the odds are that the series will end up as a 1-1 or that Pakistan would end up whitewashing England in the two-match series.
Pakistan would be entering the second Test in completely contrasting circumstances to how they were at the start of the first.
The visitor’s major strength, as discussed in this space before, was their underdog status, which they would not be carrying to Leeds. Pakistan weren’t given a sniff at the start of the series, but now they have the burden of expectation.
And so, how would Pakistan cope with the pressure of being so close to winning a series where they were never supposed to have a chance?
While Pakistan would’ve ideally wanted to go unchanged in the second test, but the injury to Babar Azam – which could keep him out of the game for over six weeks – means that one enforced change is inevitable.
The chances are that Usman Salahuddin, who scored 69* against Leicestershire in the final warm up match before the Lord’s Test, would be selected to replace Babar Azam, occupying the same number five batting slot.
The rest of the team should be as it was, considering that everyone did well or chipped in for Pakistan’s Lord’s win.
While Pakistan played almost the perfect match at Lord’s, what also aided them was England playing well below par. It could have been a case of England underestimating Pakistan – just like the rest of us did, but minus the consequences of course. But what one can be sure of is the fact that the hosts won’t be repeating the same mistake again.
So how do Pakistan outplay England again? By doing exactly what they did at Lord’s – and then some.
It is hard to find much fault with the bowling, but there’s more than a fair chance that Shadab Khan and Faheem Ashraf might have to do more with the ball than they have done so far, all the while outdoing their expectations with the bat.
Mohammad Abbas has been the spearhead for Pakistan, and he would need to be among the wickets again in the second Test. As has been the case for him since his return to international cricket, Mohammed Amir could actually have got more than the five wickets that he got in the match. But the good news for Pakistan is that he’s bowling well enough to undo England, as he exhibited in the 4-for that he got in the third innings.
While almost every Pakistani batsman was among the runs – with four 50s and two 30s – the fact that none actually went on to get a bigger score is something that the team needs to work on. This is especially true for Azhar Ali and Asad Shafiq – the two senior pros and the mainstay of the batting lineup – who should be expected to score big in this deciding Test.
Sarfraz Ahmed’s batting has been a worry since he has taken over the captaincy. But he’s just one score away from finding form again.
For Pakistan to bag the series, it would be as much a mental challenge as it is about actually going out and outplaying the England side. And if Pakistan can deal with the expectations of a series win half as well as they did being underdogs, the visitors should be home and dry.