England v Pakistan 4th Test - 5 Talking Points

They were 2-1 down in the series heading to The Oval. The Pakistan team led by Misbah-ul-Haq had lost two Tests but is too dangerous to be counted out. Alastair Cook won the toss and chose to bat first. They were 5 down for 110 it didn’t look the wisest of decisions. But it had more to do with the way Pakistan bowlers operated than anything else. Younis Khan’s double ton and Asad Shafiq’s century gave the team enough first innings lead and a belief that they can bowl the opposition out cheap and grab the game.

Wahab Riaz was a big difference in this game since he was leading the bowling with early wickets. He did so in the second inning as well with that of the English skipper Alastair Cook, another man among wickets in this game was Yasir Shah who after winning the man of the match in the Lord’s Test wasn’t able to have an impact in the following two Tests. The hosts were in trouble big time and when Wahab ran Chris Woakes out and on the very next ball got rid of Jonny Bairstow who was the lone warrior of the inning it was all but over.

Pakistan were asked to chase 40 and they did so with ease. There was no hurry; they went into Tea 24 runs away from victory and completed the formalities soon after to not just win the Test but also level the 4-match series 2-2.

1. Moeen Ali’s ton:

It wasn’t the fastest of wickets to start with and the spinners were expected to get some assistance. Moeen Ali was expected to play a crucial role in this game for England. The team was in trouble, the top order had failed; the most lethal of Pakistan bowlers Wahab Riaz was breathing fire having found early success. Their best bowler in the series Sohail Khan had tasted blood as well and there he was batting with Bairstow to bail England out of trouble.

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He soaked up the pressure and scored when he sensed unriskiest of the opportunities. The off-side game was beautiful like it is for the left-handers and he played quite a few shots as his innings comprised of 13 fours and two sixes. Ali got to his 2nd Test ton but he didn’t have a reliable partner at the other end. One after the other they all walked back and he had to rely on Jimmy Anderson to be able to get to his century. He was the last one to get out as the English team rolled over for 328 runs in the first inning.

2. Sohail Khan’s 5-wicket haul:

Sohail Khan wasn’t the biggest name in the Pakistan bowling attack coming into the series. The talk was always about the Aamirs, the Wahabs and the Shahs but definitely not about him. However, he proved to be a revelation striking mean blows at the very start of the innings. He got rid of the English captain first and then broke the resistance of Ali and Woakes. Sohail ran through the tail and ensured there was no frustrating resistance in the second part of the inning.

He registered his second Test 5-wicket haul and the second in two games. Being considered a second fiddle Sohail emerged as the prime wicket-taker and helped Pakistan restrict England to a sizeable first innings total which helped them a great deal in clinching the game.

3. Younis’ 6^th double century:

Younis Khan at 38 and the stage of his career that he is in doesn’t need to prove anything to anyone else but himself. The second oldest and the fittest player of the team Younis is the all-time leading Test run scorer for Pakistan. But thus far in the series, he looked far from his best. He was accused of moving a bit too much in the batting crease and that made him vulnerable. Without paying much heed to the critics he got his act together to play a knock which had authority, class, patience and temperament written all over it.

How did the match pan out? – ENG v PAK, 4th Test Review: Pakistan claim win; square series

He reached his 32nd Test century with Asad Shafiq playing a commendable supporting role and at the same time also scoring runs which never let the pressure built on the partnership. But he lost Shafiq after their individual tons. Younis had the tail for support. But he motivated them, showed faith, instilled belief and not just managed to score his 6th double hundred in Test cricket but also took the team total past 500 which gave them a decisive 227-run first innings lead.

4. England tumble but Bairstow holds things together:

Pakistan not just posted a huge total on the board on the 3^rd day but also had a crack at the English batters in the last part of the day. Wahab Riaz bowled with a lot of fire and so did Yasir Shah. The duo had England reeling at 88/4 by the close of play on day 3. The penultimate day proved to be the last of the game and it was entirely controlled by the Pakistanis who had enough runs on the board to attack from the onset.

But one man stood in their way and was not willing to give in. It was probably the most understated batsman in the English lineup the wicketkeeper Jonny Bairstow who first built a partnership with Garry Ballance but once the Ballance was lost he held the shield with Moeen Ali. But on the day the Pakistani bowlers were way too good to be defied and they pierced through. Once Ali was dismissed for 32 things looked really difficult for the Brits. Wahab first ran Chris Woakes out and on the very next ball had Bairstow caught in the covers. That put curtains to England’s batting innings and hopes of saving the game. Yasir Shah was the chief destructor in the second innings, as he completed this second 5-wicket haul of the series.

5. Pakistan make a great comeback to level the series:

Unpredictability is the biggest attribute of the Pakistan team. They look flatted out on one day and can inflate to blow you away on the next. After a great start to the series they lost the ploy in the next couple of games but regrouped and reorganized themselves really well to notch-up a performance like the one they did at The Oval.

Misbah was in complete control of the proceedings for most part of the 4 days and that was aided by his bowlers who got him a wicket every time he popped the ball towards them. It was a tough tour, they played in unfamiliar conditions but Pakistan showed the willingness to adapt. The hunger to win and the determination to challenge the English team at their home. A score line of 2-2 definitely looks more in favor of the tourists than the team that is known for routing opponents when playing in their backyard.