Test Pakistan v England (3 Test Matches)

[MJG14]

FIRST TEST: October 7-11 - Multan
SECOND TEST: October 15-19 - Multan
THIRD TEST: October 24-28 - Rawalpindi

Series has started today and the first Test in Multan is on Fox Cricket now. England whitewashed Pakistan 3-0 the last time they toured in 2022 with Harry Brook making major contributions.

Pakistan won the toss and elected to bat and have started ok at 1/103. Shan Masood not messing around, having already brought up his 50.

 

[akkaps]

Pakistan won the toss and elected to bat and have started ok at 1/103. Shan Masood not messing around, having already brought up his 50.

Masood struggled in the Bashir's second over. Then played a few aggressive shots, with the inexperience of Bashir not being able to adapt as much others spin bowlers

 

[Plugger35]

Pakistan cruising at 1/150, it looks like another flat Pakistan batting pitch but it isn't the best England bowling line up either.

 

[Nicho50]

Pakistan cruising at 1/150, it looks like another flat Pakistan batting pitch but it isn't the best England bowling line up either.

They don’t have much else bowling depth wise. Wood and Archer cannon fodder on these flat decks.

 

[PhatBoy]

They don’t have much else bowling depth wise. Wood and Archer cannon fodder on these flat decks.

How would anyone know?

Wood has done perfectly fine in places with flat pitches before.

He’s been belted in India and Sri Lanka, he’s also had some good output in the UAE, Pakistan, the West Indies (during a series they lost, before you turn your nose up) and Australia which while bouncier didn’t exactly have a lot going for it movement wise.

How would anyone know about Archer? He’s played two test matches outside England, SA or NZ and they were in India where he took 4 wickets at 30.

If anything a high 140s reverse swing bowler who expends little to no energy on an easy run up would have been the absolute perfect fast bowler to have coming in on a pitch offering little assistance in oppressive temperatures I’d have thought.

Regardless, England’s attack is utter shite.

You can cover for batting shortcomings with tactics like bazzball to some degree and cross your fingers that it will come off but you can’t cover for how weak their bowling is when guys like Carse are getting a game

 

[Plugger35]

A ton for Masood and a timely one with calls for him to be dropped due to a lack of runs.

They don’t have much else bowling depth wise. Wood and Archer cannon fodder on these flat decks.

You wouldn't think England would want to waste quality fast bowlers like Wood and Archer on flat pitches like the ones in Pakistan.

They are better off saving them for pitches that suit their bowling like Australia and leave the donkey work to their other bowlers.

 

[Plugger35]

A wicketless session for England with Pakistan 1/233 at tea, great for Pakistan but pretty boring to watch with the lack of wickets.

Not that there are many people at the ground to watch it with this test starting on a Monday.

 

[PhatBoy]

A ton for Masood and a timely one with calls for him to be dropped due to a lack of runs.



You wouldn't think England would want to waste quality fast bowlers like Wood and Archer on flat pitches like the ones in Pakistan.

They are better off saving them for pitches that suit their bowling like Australia and leave the donkey work to their other bowlers.

They still have to win. Australia is over a year away.

They aren’t a chance in hell of winning a series if they can’t take 20 wickets in a test and they can’t do that with terrible attacks like the ones they’re looking like fielding this series.

They started this whole thing realistically by smashing Pakistan 3-0 away and they would be desperate to do it again

 

[Nicho50]

I agree it’s a shit attack, it’s still a shit attack in test cricket with Wood and Archer.

 

[PhatBoy]

I agree it’s a shit attack, it’s still a shit attack in test cricket with Wood and Archer.

Wood has done a fine job. He averaged 42 after 12 tests.

In the 25 since he’s brought that down 20 30.

He’s averaged 26 at test level since the start of 2009. Bowling at 150kph, that’s fantastic.

In theory if you put him, Archer at a level of decent fitness and not being over bowled, Atkinson who looks like the one respectable bowler they currently have, and Leach who to me is 20 times the spinner Bashir is, that’s the bones of a decent attack

 

[Plugger35]

Finally another wicket for England with Shafique gone but now they have Babar to deal with.

 

[akkaps]

Finally another wicket for England with Shafique gone but now they have Babar to deal with.

He’s recent average hasn’t been the best. But then again, neither has Shafique’s or Masood’s recently.

I have a lot more faith in Saud Shakeel

 

[Torz]

Chris Woakes would surely have to have one of the largest home/away average differentials in test history. 22.63 at home and 51.88 away.

 

[Plugger35]

Woakes trapping Babar lbw just before stumps.

This has been a much better session for England with 3 wickets but it's still Pakistan's day.

 

[Around the Wicket]

I'd rather watch paint dry then a Pakistan home test, they need to sort there pitches out, makes for boring Test cricket.

 

[RookiePick]

Babar would have to be filthy with himself. Winkled out a couple of overs before close with Pakistan in a solid position.

Seems to be on the decline the last couple of years unfortunately.

Only saw a few ball but the pitch looked very benign. Not sure why Pakistan seem to be prepping their wickets this way since they have returned to hosting on home shores.

 

[PhatBoy]

Babar would have to be filthy with himself. Winkled out a couple of overs before close with Pakistan in a solid position.

Seems to be on the decline the last couple of years unfortunately.

Only saw a few ball but the pitch looked very benign. Not sure why Pakistan seem to be prepping their wickets this way since they have returned to hosting on home shores.

His run of form is absolutely bizarre - it’s now something like 15 innings without passing even 40 let alone 50 yet he’s only been dismissed in single figures twice. It’s not like he’s going out there just in wretched form and can’t get set

 

[Plugger35]

Carse finally removes the nightwatchman Naseem after about an hour and a half of play today.

 

[Plugger35]

Rizwan gone for a duck, England fighting back again.

 

[RookiePick]

Pakistan must have money on the Poms. Went nowhere in that session.

 

[akkaps]

Tough decision with that six review. Think it was out but the camera didn’t zoom in far enough.

Also believe rules need to state that the player must start and land their inside the rope. But that’s a different issue

 

[sabso]

Night watchmen should not be given runs, naseem was batting like Jason Gillespie out there

 

[Plugger35]

Tough decision with that six review. Think it was out but the camera didn’t zoom in far enough.

Also believe rules need to state that the player must start and land their inside the rope. But that’s a different issue

I thought that it was out too but the benefit of the doubt usually goes in the batsman's favour, especially a home team's batsman.

 

[Plugger35]

Bashir dismisses Shakeel but Pakistan have 450 runs on the board now and could add another 50 runs with the tail to get to 500.

 

[sabso]

Exactly, pak still have the confusingly name swapped salman agha at the crease and the last two wickets could easily add the remaining runs