England vs. Pakistan – 3rd test begins today
Pakistan and England will square off at the Oval for the 3rd test of the 4 match series today with expectations that Pakistan will finally come back hard at the three lions. England has already won the first two matches ensuring that they can no longer loose the series. Pakistan on the other hand will be looking to secure a win at all costs to take the series down to the final encounter.
The first two test matches were unarguably one-sided affairs. Pakistan’http://www.senore.com/Cricket/S-Young-c87719 team under the captaincy of Salman Butt showed a lot of promise when they won the 2nd test against Australia. However, the momentum came to a grinding halt as it did not last. The same old fragile batting collapses were back in action which left Pakistan in a desperate situation.
As soon as Pakistan lost the first test, there were cries of calling back the old faces. Once again, Pakistan cricket decided to adapt the catastrophic one step forward and the two steps back approach. The young team that had done rather well against the Aussies should have been given more time to mature, rather than once again bringing back the same old players who have been in and out of the team on multiple occasions. Plus, not to forget players like Muhammad Yousuf who were banned by the Pakistan Cricket Board for having any negative influence on the team.
Later on, the star player handed in his retirement and his words were, “Yes, for now I am retiring”. It was clear to everyone that it was just part of the ongoing soap opera of Pakistan cricket and he had to be called back. Yousuf is now back in the team and regardless of how he performs, the question remains, wasn’t he part of the team when Pakistan suffered the embarrassing 3-0 whitewash in Australia. In fact he was the captain of that beleaguered side so what has changed during the last 8 months that he would bring about a revolution in the team. Many believed that since Pakistan has taken the initiative of naming a young team and http://www.senore.com/Cricket/A-Young-c41367 captain, then they should be given proper time to learn from their own mistakes. However, if the policy keeps changing, it would not do the team any good.
Kamran Akmal, another player who was fined after the Australian tour is just not ready to learn. After dropping 3 more catches in the 1st test against England, butter fingers was finally dropped. Zulqarnain Haider was finally given a chance and he took it with both hands by notching up a brilliant knock of 88 runs in Pakistan’s 2nd innings, saving the team from an innings defeat. However, it was unfortunate that he suffered a fractured finger and is almost certain to miss out and would be sent home.
After all the hue and cry Kamran Akmal a.k.a butter fingers gets another chance to redeem himself. At least now, the wicket-keeper knows there is competition behind him and he should bring his A-game to Oval.
Meanwhile Salman Butt has looked out of sorts since taking over the captaincy. He was the top scorer for Pakistan in the first test against http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Shahid-Afridi-c2482 was the captain. But since taking over the reins, Butt seems to be more occupied in his head and has not been able to perform. There may be another forced change in the bowling line-up. Umar Gul suffered a groin problem in the 2nd test and may be replaced by Wahab Riaz but that decision would be made just before the match. Gul is expected to go through a fitness test and that would determine his chances of playing in the 3rd test.
So the stage is set for another battle between http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Pakistan-c755 and England. However, the odds are still heavily against Pakistan and England look favourites to complete the series win with a 3rd straight win. However, Pakistan with their reputation of being unpredictable may yet come up with something special as they normally do play their best when they are pushed against the wall.
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