Pakistan v England Test series Preview: Teams bid for second place in ICC Test rankings

Pakistan v England Test series Preview: Teams bid for second place in ICC Test rankings: England and Pakistan will have the number-two position in the ICC Test Team Rankings in their sights when they meet in the first of a 3-Test series in the UAE, which starts in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday, 13 October. England is currently sitting in third place on 102 points, one point ahead of Pakistan. This means the side that wins the series in the UAE by 2-0 or better, it will jump to second position.

The memories of the last time these two sides met in the Middle East are pretty sour for the English. They were whitewashed comprehensively by 3-0 and looked novices against the spinning cherry.

Pakistan:

Pakistan are on a high after winning an away Test series in Sri Lanka in emphatic fashion. Misbah-ul-Haq is leading the boys well and also contributing substantially with the willow. Pakistan though have to deal with a severe setback as in form Azhar Ali has been ruled out of the first Test due to injury.

To give the contest some context one needs to remember that Pakistan crushed Australia last year to win the series 2-0. That was a pretty strong Australian side but didn’t have a clue against the Pakistani spinners Zulfiqar Babar and Yasir Shah. The leggie Shah, is perhaps the best leg spinner in current cricket and if provided with helpful tracks he can just run through sides. Sri Lanka experienced plenty of that in the last encounter with Pakistan at home.

Wahab Riaz, Junaid Khan and Rahat Ali provide plenty of pace element to the squad. The spin department is a no brainer with Babar and Shah sure of a place. Yasir is a dangerous opponent. No Pakistan bowler has been quicker to 50 wickets. In other team news, Fawad Alam has been restored to the Test squad after a five-year hiatus. He comes into the squad for 20-year old Babar Azam, who was unlucky to miss out on the Sri Lanka series due a logistical issue. Alam has been in fine fettle of late in first-class cricket, where he’s managed two 150+ scores and five fifties, in his last 14 innings.

Pakistan have a production line of talent which ensures they will do each discipline effectively. Younis Khan and Asad Shafiq have been run machines in the last two years.

England:

The tourists faired alright in the two day tour game with their batsmen getting a good practice before the real test. Fresh from winning the Ashes, they take on a Pakistan side which always performs strongly in their adopted home. Trevor Bayliss and his chargers arrive in Abu Dhabi knowing that they have to improve in sub-continent conditions if they want to be considered a top Test-playing nation again.

Moeen Ali was the on song in the practise game and is the hot favourite to partner Cook at the top of the order. Adam Lyth who has paid the price for his poor form, is replaced by Alex Hales. The Nottinghamshire batsman scored 886 runs this summer at an average of 52 and would also stake claim for a place in the eleven. Key to England’s success will be the form of diminutive Joe Root. The Yorkshireman has experienced a magnificent run with the bat, averaging 62 in his last 10 Tests.

As Paul Farbrace has said, this will be a much bigger challenge for the team than the Ashes. Whether England do well or not will depend highly on their acclimatization skills. They failed miserably when they lost 3-0 to Pakistan in their last outing here and will be eager to resurrect those mistakes. Only Alastair Cook, Ian Bell, Stuart Broad and James Anderson remain from that squad. Anderson has a career average of 27 and a strike rate of 57. In Asia those figures leap to 32 and 67.

England may be wise to consider James Taylor instead of Bairstow. Another key decision is whether to pick a third spinner in Samit Patel or Steven Finn, who was excellent against Pakistan A. Playing Asian teams on turning pitches has always been the final frontier for England teams and this new crowd have a lot to prove.

The tourists have also included three specialist spinners in the squad – Samit Patel, Adil Rashid and Moeen Ali, all of whom will have important roles to play if the English want to neutralise the threat of the Pakistani top order. Mahela Jayawardene, the recently-retired Sri Lankan legend (the batting consultant of the side) will work closely with the English Test batsmen who have struggled against slower bowlers in Sub-Continent conditions.

Likely result:

A series victory looks beyond England. But they should be committed and capable of attritional play, despite their belief in an attacking style off late. As if now Pakistan start as the favourites.

In Focus:

1. The series against England looks as though it might be the last for Pakistan Test captain Misbhah-ul-Haq. The 41-year-old looks increasingly unlikely to play any Test cricket beyond this series after political issues look to have put an end to any hope of India touring the UAE at the end of 2015. The experienced campaigner will know the opposition are aiming to prove a point in conditions where they’ve traditionally struggled for results.

2. Jos Buttler has been in woeful form and failed to get a single fifty in the Ashes. The wicketkeeper batsman will be under pressure to perform considering Johny Bairstow, another gloves man is also in the side.

Pitches:

The pitches in the UAE tend to favour more patient batsmen who don’t force the issue. They’re generally slower and offer less bounce, so expect long periods where scoring will more than likely drop below 3 an over. Spinners from both sides will play the main roles here, as they look to stifle the scoring, and increase pressure on the batsmen.

Squads:    

England Squad:

Alastair Cook (C), James Taylor, Stuart Broad, Ian Bell, Moeen Ali, James Anderson, Joe Root, Samit Patel, Liam Plunkett, Alex Hales, Jos Buttler (wk), Steven Finn, Ben Stokes, Jonny Bairstow (wk), Mark Wood, Adil Rashid,

Pakistan Squad:

Misbah-ul-Haq (c), Fawad Alam, Wahab Riaz, Younis Khan, Shoaib Malik, Junaid Khan, Azhar Ali, Sarfraz Ahmed (wk), Rahat Ali, Mohammad Hafeez, Shan Masood, Imran Khan, Ahmed Shehzad, Yasir Shah, Asad Shafiq, Zulfiqar Babar.

Stats to Ponder: 

1. In 22 Test series to date, England has won nine and Pakistan seven, with the remaining six ending in draws.

2. The hosts come into this tour having not lost a Test series since their 2-0 defeat to Sri Lanka in August 2014.

Schedule:

13-17 Oct – 1^st Test, Abu Dhabi
22-26 Oct – 2^nd Test, Dubai
1-5 Nov – 3^rd Test, Sharjah