England v Pakistan, 1st Test: England Probable XI

England will face a grisly challenge when they meet Pakistan at the Lord’s in the opening match of the Investec series. The team has a superb record at home, having won six of their last seven Test series at home. However, facing Pakistan will be a different thing altogether. The hosts have a few issues to sort out. The openers will face the ‘Mohammad Amir’ test. The middle order has a couple of flaws. To make matters more tricky, they will be without their star bowler James Anderson. If all goes as anticipated, it will be an evenly fought contest between both the teams. But, these factors don’t take away the ‘favourites’ tag from them.

1. Alastair Cook:

Cook will face a stern test from comeback man Mohammad Amir. The left-arm fast bowler can prove to be fatal for Cook with the new ball and the skipper must ensure to play him out in the morning session to make sure he has a lengthy time in the middle.

2. Alex Hales:

Alex Hales will also be facing the Amir challenge. Hales, who has now established himself as a Test batsman, experienced a fine run of form against Sri Lanka in the recently concluded series where he amassed 292 runs in 3 matches. However, facing Pakistani attack will be a lot different than facing the depleted Lankan attack and his batting abilities will be thoroughly put to test.

3. Joe Root:

England skipper Alastair Cook and coach Trevor Bayliss have confirmed a promotion in the batting order for Joe Root. Root, easily the best among current players at the Test level, has batted at number four or five for most parts of his career and has experienced a golden run there. The no. 3 spot is a crucial place in the batting order and he must be mentally prepared to face Amir and Wahab Riaz. His batting form will set the tone for the rest of the batting order.

Also read – Eng v Pak, 1st Test Preview: Pakistan aiming for a fresh start

4. Gary Ballance:

Ballance will be the man under the spotlight when he comes out to bat against the Men in Green. He has experienced a couple of big highs and lows in his 15 Test old career. He had a wonderful start to his career and then became the 9th fastest to 1000 runs in Tests before his career stuttered. His ability, temperament and technique all were questioned by critics. This tour will be a second chance for him and perhaps the best opportunity to silence all the doubters.

5. Jonny Bairstow:

Wicket-keeper batsman Jonny Bairstow will hope to emulate the way he performed against Sri Lanka when he walks out at the Lord’s to play Pakistan. The last time he played here, Bairstow smashed an unbeaten 167 and finished the series with 387 runs. The upcoming game will also serve him a chance to break into the top ten of the batsmen rankings.

6. James Vince:

For James Vince, the 25-year-old Hampshire batting mainstay was picked as an in-form batsman for the Sri Lanka series. Unfortunately, he couldn’t make most of it, registering underwhelming scores of 9, 35 and 10 in the three Tests he played. Coach Bayliss has shown his faith in him yet again with the expects him to become a consistent performer at the Test level. With the return of Gary Ballance, he will have to sacrifice his number five spot in the line-up. But, whatever, his batting position is, getting runs under his belt should be his prime motto.

7. Moeen Ali:

Moeen Ali will as usual perform the dual responsibility of a lower order batsman and a frontline off-spinner in the team. He is in form and contributes in both the department. Apart from consistently chipping with a wicket or two, Ali has experienced a great batting form in recent times. After a couple of failures, in the recently concluded series against Sri Lanka, he made a comeback with a wonderful 155 at Chester le Street, proving why he is considered as an asset in the team.

8. Chris Woakes:

Chris Woakes made up for the absence of Ben Stokes perfectly for England. The fast bowling all-rounder did his job well against Sri Lanka. He scored runs with the bat and bowled wicket taking spells with the ball to help his team flatten the opposition. Stokes’ unavailability has given one more chance and it is anticipated that he will put up even better performances against Pakistan to make the selector’s job that much more difficult (a very good problem to have indeed).

9. Jake Ball:

Jake Ball will get his opportunity finally. With 31 county wickets this season, the Nottinghamshire fast bowler has been on a roll in the domestic circuit and will start ahead of Tony Ronald-Jones. The 25-year-old featured in England’s squad during their recent three-Test series against Sri Lanka but carried the drinks as Chris Woakes made the cut. But, injury to James Anderson paved the way for him to enter the final XI.

10. Stuart Broad:

Stuart Broad will be at the helm of the fast bowling attack in the absence of lead bowler James Anderson who is nursing a shoulder injury. The unavailability of Anderson is a huge blow to the hosts, especially at Lord’s where England have pretty bad experiences. But, Broad is an equally lethal bowler and will be the single biggest threat to the opposition.

11. Steven Finn:

Finn will be the second-in-charge of the pace attack and will most likely share the new ball with Broad. He must play his role wisely. If Englan hopes to get better of Pakistan, Finn needs to have a vital contribution in it. The Middlesex fast bowler struggled at times but overall he’s managed to have an impact on the opposition. This series, perhaps, can be his chance to rediscover his form completely.