England Start as Favourites in Test-series against Pakistan
The Series
England will host a four-match Test series against Pakistan starting from July 29, 2010. England goes into the series with wins over http://www.senore.com/Cricket/South-Africa-c757.
On the other hand, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Pakistan-c755 will be c**k-a-hoop after their win over Australia in the Headingley Test and in turn, ecstatic with the 1-1 series result. It had taken them 13 straight losses against Australia to win their first game and one can rest assured that their confidence will be sky-high.
However, this is a four-game series and that will mean it will not only be the flashes of brilliance that will be tested. Consistency over long periods of time will be the key to winning the series, and with the manner in which Pakistan usually plays its cricket, things could get tough for the new captain, Salman Butt.
England:
England start off as favourites and that is simply because they have looked good in the recent cricket they have played. They have been able to beat Australia in the ODIs as well, and the balance in their batting and bowling says a lot about their mindset. Not too many players have been dropped from the side due to bad form, and even in this series, apart from Ian Bell’s fractured foot, the rest of the side is the first choice one.
Their batting will be propped by the return of Kevin Pietersen, and with another South African-born player making all the runs in Jonathon Trott, the Pakistani bowling could face some kind of a challenge. What should make the contest more riveting is the presence of arguably the best spinner in the world today, Graeme Swann, against a side that plays spin as well as any other team in the world.
The Squad:
Andrew Strauss, Alastair Cook, Kevin Pietersen, Jonathon Trott, Paul Collingwood, Eoin Morgan, Matt Prior, Stuart Broad, Steven Finn, James Anderson, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Ajmal-Shahzad-c42489, Graeme Swann.
Players to watch out for:
The tall, 6 ft 7 in, Finn has often been spoken about with much admiration and he will be the one fans will look forward to watching.
Pakistan:
There are two things going Pakistan’s way now. Their bowling was always their strongest suit, and in the helpful English conditions, the troika of Mohammad Asif, Mohammad Aamer and Umar Gul will continue troubling England. However, what is more important from the tourists’ perspective is that they will now have a new-found confidence which should assist them in the series as well.
What was surprising to watch in the http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Australia-c746 series was that the selectors managed to keep faith in their youngsters, like Azhar Ali and Umar Amin and that reaped rich dividends. Against England, the side will know only too well that only good bowling will not win them matches. They will also need to bat equally well, and the openers will need to take off from they left off in the Australia series.
Saeed Ajmal may also get his chances in this series.
The Squad:
Salman Butt, Imran Farhat, Umar Amin, Umar Akmal, Azhar Ali, Shoaib Malik, Kamran Akmal, Umar Gul, Mohammad Asif, Mohamma Aamer, Saeed Ajmal.
Players to watch out for:
Butt’s captaincy was instrumental in Pakistan’s win over Australia, but now will be his true test, when he leads them in a four-game series, rather than a one-off match.
Team and Player Odds:
England will start as favourites to win the series, 4/7 given out by Boylesports for their win. ExtraBet gives 9/2 for a Pakistani win, whereas a drawn series is at 5/1at Sporting Bet.
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