England vs Pakistan – Lord’s Test preview
England looked to be cruising towards a 4-0 whitewash of their current Test series against Pakistan before hitting a bump in the road with a four-wicket loss at The Oval last match to ensure the series remains alive into the final Test at Lord’s.
The hosts now head to the home of cricket with a 2-1 lead over Salman Butt’s side, but with some genuine questions over their batting, which on paper looks a whole lot better than what was delivered as debutant Wahab Riaz ripped through the line-up in the first innings at The Oval before teenage pace prodigy Mohammad Amir claimed a five-fer of his own in the second innings.
The good news for England selectors is that opener Alastair Cook’s 110 in the second innings has spared them the headache of whether or not to persevere with the left-hander for the final Test of the series, after what, until that point, had been a forgettable home summer for Cook.
It’s a knock that should shift the pressure squarely back to Kevin Pietersen, who, aside from his 80 in the first innings against Pakistan at Edgbaston, has otherwise failed to fire with scores of nine and 22 at Trent Bridge and six and 23 at The Oval.
While the onus should rightly be on England’s top order to perform, the collapse that saw Andrew Strauss’ side dismissed for 222 in their second innings at the Oval after at one stage sitting comfortably at 194-3, coupled with the previous failure of the tail to wag in the first innings in Birmingham, may just indicate England’s much vaunted batting depth isn’t quite as reliable as previously thought.
Pakistan have fared no better with their fragile batting line-up this series, which crumbled for just 80 in the second innings in Nottingham as England romped to 354-run victory. The return of former captain Mohammad Yousuf has gone some way to shoring up the middle order for Pakistan, but their inherent frailty was just as obvious in victory as defeat, where within touching distance of winning at The Oval four wickets fell for the addition of just 29 runs, before the visitors stumbled across the line for their first win of the series.
But with one win in the bag for Pakistan, the news could be about to get better as injured paceman Umar Gul edges closer to winning his battle for fitness ahead of the fourth Test, with a fitness test to help make the decision on whether he returns to the playing XI at Lord’s.
That said, Wahab’s figures of 5-63 and 1-40 in his maiden Test make a strong case for the left-armer to remain in the pace attack in support of Amir and Mohammad Asif. Finally, the potential for a welcome selection headache for http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Pakistan-c755 selectors after a series where injury and poor form have consistently forced their hand at the selection table.
England, on the other hand, could be expected to again take an unchanged side into this match, despite adding Tim Bresnan to the 12-man squad once again ahead of their final Test before the Ashes this winter.
An England win at Lord’s will mean their defeat at The Oval can be chalked up to a reality check ahead of their Ashes defence in http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Australia-c746; a loss, however, may start to see the doubts creep in to what has developed into a confident England side since they again got their hands on the precious urn last summer.
It’s hard to see the inconsistent Pakistan, however, inflicting back-to-back losses on their hosts, but at least their victory in the third Test has kept the series alive for its duration.
Prediction: England to wrap up a 3-1 series win.
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