The first Test saw an inspiring century from captain Misbah-ul-Haq but Pakistan’s performance in the next game betrayed its batting woes.
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If the crown of “leading seam bowler at home” is a slightly contrived statistic, then the wicket that nudged Anderson past McGrath’s 289 – getting Shan Masood to edge to first slip on seven – could yet prove significant going into the Edgbaston Test. Masood in particular has had a tough time against James Anderson, falling to the pacer six times in 57 balls since the two teams’ met in the United Arab Emirates a year ago.
“So that provides another level of pressure”. “I was really disappointed with our performance at Old Trafford”. “There are credible losses, and there are losses when you lie down and are steamrollered … Old Trafford was clearly that”, Arthur said, as quoted by ESPNCricinfo.
“I told the guys I thought we were warriors at Lord’s”, he added. We were completely the opposite at Old Trafford.
Saj Sadiq, the Chief Editor of PakPassion.com, will also be joining the show to talk about what is like following the team around the world, and discussing the fans who have also travelled to watch every fixture on Pakistan’s England Tour.
“We’ve had discussions. We’ve given that position some serious thought”, he said. “It has been a worry”. Most noticeably, he suggested their batting is over-reliant upon Alastair Cook and Joe Root and that, if Pakistan can strike with the new ball, they could put the likes of James Vince and Gary Ballance under pressure.
McGrath, the former Australian fast bowler, played worldwide cricket until the age of 37, finishing up with 563 Test wickets, and now Anderson, who sits 105 behind, sees no reason why he too can not extend his career provided he stays fit.
England must decide whether to play two spinners with Adil Rashid, the legbreak bowler, waiting in the wings for a home debut, most likely in support of Moeen Ali, the offspinner.
Pakistan coach Mickey Arthur wants his team to bounce back strongly from the .
“The thing I’ve said to our batsmen is about the trend of dismissal”.
“You obviously have doubts about yourself … but it’s awesome what six months can do for you”. Yasir Shah was the focal point of their victory in the First Test – taking 10 wickets – but took just one in the reverse in Manchester.
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“Apart from Younis, we have been winning with the likes of Misbah-ul-Haq, Azhar Ali and Asad Shafiq for the past few years and we can not write off any of these players based upon a few bad innings”.
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