England, who lead 2-1 after Sunday’s thrilling 141-run win at Edgbaston, have not picked the Yorkshire leg-spinner in Test cricket since his chastening debut series against Pakistan in the UAE previous year, when he took eights wickets in three games at an average of almost 70. Nathan Lyon bowled very well there and got some spin and bounce out of the wicket. England’s Barmy Army staged their South Africa tour reunion in the Eric Hollies Stand over the weekend, and the Pakistan team were also well-supported throughout the match.
Advertisement
James Anderson, having located some much-needed reverse swing, finds Younus Khan’s edge and wicketkeeper Jonny Bairstow gathers a simple catch.
Rashid took a match haul of seven for 61 in Yorkshire’s Specsavers County Championship win over Warwickshire last week, after being released from England’s squad. It was unlikely that they would last the 30-odd overs, no disrespect to them, but you would have thought we would create a few more chances.
3/79 Best innings figures by an England bowler in this Test, which is the second least-best figures for England excluding the Centurion Test of 1999-00 where they bowled just one innings.
England captain Alastair Cook: “It was great character from the guys to come back and bowl like we did”.
“It was hard – we weren’t scoring any runs, but everyone dug in”.
But their hopes of saving the game were all but ended shortly before tea by the loss of their last four recognised batsmen for just one run in 23 balls as England’s pacemen made the most of the slight reverse swing on offer.
Finn’s bowling, like Moeen’s, had previously been a worry – but England have retained faith in him. He added: ‘It was a nice feeling going into the last morning thinking we were the only side who could win the game.
In truth, nobody had thought it even remotely possible until next year’s away Ashes series at the earliest.
“Then we bowled brilliantly too”.
The scale of England’s victory was all the more impressive given they conceded a first-innings deficit of 103, only the sixth time in history they have won a Test after trailing by 100 or more. Australia also won both their Tests in the capital past year, meaning England are on a four-match winless streak in the city taking into account their Lord’s draw against Sri Lanka in June. This was his second for his scores of 63 and 86 not out with bat and 2 for 49 in the fourth innings.
Assuming the first Test venue of Rajkot is not prepared as a three-day turner – although that is far from being a safe assumption – England’s line-up, if everyone is fit, would then be: Cook, Hales, Root, Vince or Ballance, Stokes, Bairstow, Moeen, Woakes, Rashid, Broad and Anderson. But I think the case for playing two is a definite.
Advertisement
“I didn’t mean to go out and play so freely, it just happened, and I watched the ball, reacted to it and played to my instincts”.
