Pakistan will take on England in a four-Test series starting at Lord’s on July 14th. “And as a bowling unit we’ve got Mohammad Amir back and we have the likes of Sohail Khan who I think will be very effective here as well”.
Advertisement
England were favourites, only marginally perhaps – until they lost James Anderson to injury, for the first Test at least.
“The word probably is conviction”, said Buttler of why he was dropped from Test duty after England’s series against Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates in October. “I can’t talk, my ball will talk”.
England coach Trevor Bayliss has already hinted at a recall for Buttler, admitting he hopes the Lancashire star can translate his white-ball form to the Test match forum.
His experiences of the past year, however, suggest he will be up to the task against Pakistan in this week’s first Investec Test at Lord’s.
At least he is expected to visit Lord’s today or tomorrow and can pass on tips to uncapped duo Jake Ball, 25, of Nottinghamshire and Middlesex’s Toby Roland-Jones, 28.
Pakistan’s four-Test series against England gets under way at Lord’s on Thursday, with the hosts looking to gain revenge for a 2-0 defeat in the United Arab Emirates late previous year.
“Then they calmed down and now they are trying to get along with him”. But you sit in the dressing room and you hear players say, ‘Hello, what was that all about?’ It has put innocent players under suspicion.
“Swanny got a five-for but I don’t think anyone remembered how”.
“Hopefully this is a time I can go in and stamp my authority on a place and get some runs”.
“I think he was like King Lear, “more sinned against than sinning”, explained Brearley, the former England captain, in a reference to the Shakespeare play. That’s now translating into my cricket.
As for Stokes, Cook said: “Quite rightly when he comes back and he is fully fit he comes into our side”.
Pakistan seamer Wahab followed Root on press conference duties on Tuesday, and quickly offered another counter in a light-hearted back-and-forth with England’s linchpin.
Former England batsman Kevin Pietersen has joined the chorus of players who believe Mohammad Amir should have been given a lifetime ban for his role in the 2010 spot-fixing scandal but warned his country’s players and fans to sledge the left-handed pacer at their own peril.
But Azhar told Cricinfo after a warm-up game against Somerset: “He’s played a lot of cricket since his comeback, so things have settled down a lot”. The point is he learned to bowl these long spells which contained batsmen as well as taking wickets, as only the best legspinners – Warne, Abdul-Qadir, Anil Kumble if you classify him as a legspinner – can do.
Advertisement
“We will support him and we really want him to do well”.
