3 Issues England should be wary of before the second Test against Pakistan

England might have taken the 1-0 lead in the three-match Test Series against Pakistan but their victory in the first Test was by no means a flawless one. Joe Root and Co have plenty to ponder before the start of the 2nd Test at the Rose Bowl, Southampton.

The Pakistan team didn’t do a lot wrong to lose the match except for some poor batting in the second innings. One can question some of the tactics used by Azhar Ali but full credit should be given to Jos Buttler and Chris Woakes’ batting display. On an uneven Day 4 pitch, they both batted superbly and rescued England from a miserable position.

The English team has already faced a setback before the start of the 2nd Test as their star all-rounder Ben Stokes will not be available for the rest of the series due to some family issues. But that is not their only problem, from the out of rhythm James Anderson to the shaky middle-order, the English think-tank has plenty to discuss.

So let’s have a look at the 3 major issues that England should be wary of ahead of the 2nd Test starting from August 13:

3. Unsettled middle-order

The England batting line-up is not one of the best in the world and they have proved to be vulnerable against a good quality attack even in their home conditions. In the previous series against West Indies, their batting weaknesses were exposed and Pakistan almost tasted victory by attacking those weaknesses in the first Test.

Ben Stokes and Joe Root are the main stalwarts of their middle-order. With Stokes not available and Root looking out of touch, it may be a big issue for the English side in the 2nd Test.

Ollie Pope is the one looking to be in some touch in that middle order after Ben Stokes. Root has not got going in the year 2020 so far, with Jos Buttler performing inconsistently. So, in a nutshell, the middle-order is shaky and someone needs to step-up against the high-quality Pakistan bowling line-up.