England v Pakistan, 4th Test: England Player Ratings

England allowed their 2-1 lead against Pakistan to slip away when they conceded a win to Pakistan in the fourth and final Test match at The Oval. Pakistan claimed a win by 10 wickets, something that saw them make a comeback in the context of the series. However, this will simply go on to prove that England and their dominant force in their own backyard are well and truly a myth. However, the question everybody had now is – What went wrong? For that, we take a quick look at the player ratings for England in the match.

Alastair Cook – 6/10

The England skipper failed to make much of an impact with the bat as he scored just 40 odd runs combined in both innings. Moreover, as a skipper, Cook showed signs of failing to execute plans as per the requirements of the hour, something that attributed to the loss.

Alex Hales – 5/10

The batting woes stretched into the fourth Test for Hales as he simply could not wrap his head around figuring out the Pakistani pace attack. Moreover, he was fined 15% of his match fee once evidence went on to suggest that he had shown dissent to the umpires.

Joe Root – 6.5/10

Although he seemed to be slightly better that most of the other English batsmen, Joe Root simply could not get the important runs that he usually does for England as he managed just 26 and 39 in each innings. Moreover, the fact that his off-stump frailties were well-documented showcased yet another problem in Root’s batting.

Gary Ballance – 6/10

The southpaw was largely subdued in this Test match and looked all at sea against the Pakistani pacers and Wahab’s vengeance. There are calls from a few previous players to get him dropped from the side.

James Vince – 5/10

James Vince’s induction to Test cricket has been something of a horror. However, the fact that he has been in a prolonged bad patch has seen Vince become a casualty in the side, something the Brits will look to fill soon.

Jonny Bairstow – 7/10

One of the shining lights for England in a series where their batting has not done too well. Jonny Bairstow’s fighting knock of 81 in the second innings, as well as his fantastic glove work, is definitely something the Birts will be hoping for in the near future.

Also read – Pakistan stay third; a win in the 4th Test will get India to the top of ICC Test team rankings

Moeen Ali – 7.5/10

The best player for England by a country mile, Moeen Ali showed a combination of character and grit as he smashed a wonderful ton in the first innings as well as picked a few important wickets in the grander scheme of things.

Chris Woakes – 6.5/10

Chris Woakes seemingly ran out of steam in the final Test after having made a wonderful entry into the side at the start of the series. However, the fact that he managed to take a few more wickets than his fellow bowlers ensured that he was a tad bit better than his fellow bowlers.

James Anderson – 5.5/10

A bad Test match for Jimmy Anderson, one of the rare few that occur once in each five series played. Anderson picked just the one wicket in the entire Test match.

Stuart Broad – 5.5/10

Stuart Broad ensured that the Pakistan batsmen did not get away. However, the fact that he did not have many wickets to show for the same simply went on to add to the fact that it was a collectively poor bowling performance from the England pace bowling attack.

Also read – Twitter Reactions: Gutsy Pakistan level the series at The Oval

Steven Finn – 6/10

The tall pacer made an impact with the ball in spite of those speaking about the all the battles going on in his head. Moreover, the fact that he picked 3 wickets and bowled with grit ensured that people started taking him seriously once again.