Pakistan bowl England out on first day of Oval Test
The first day of the Oval test yesterday, was just what the cricketing fans were hoping it would be - a competitive game of cricket. Andrew Strauss made the decision to bat first and that might have been death knell for the English side had it not been for Matt Prior, who played some fabulous face saving cricket for England.
Mohammad Asif and Wahab Riaz were without a doubt the highlight of the day for the Pakistan side. They bowled beautifully showing movement off the seam and bowling just the right length. Alastair Cook was their first victim, caught behind off Mohammad Asif. This was then followed by another magnificent edge inducing delivery to Andrew Strauss by Riaz. However, Andrew Strauss initially stood at the crease with the umpire calling it not out. Pakistan’s decision to review proved to be crucial, as the hotspot revealed an edge which was also easily visible to the naked eye.
“Subtle movement in both directions is such a difficult skill to master as a bowler, but Asif makes it look so easy - like someone toying with a yo-yo at the end of their fingers”, observed Jonathan Agnew.
The England side failed to find their rhythm against the Pakistani bowling attack with the batting line up collapsing with just 74 runs on the board and 6 wickets down. The performance by the English batting order was definitely below par. Had it not been for Matt Prior and Stuart Broad with their record breaking 8th wicket partnership of 119 runs, the current 185 run deficit for Pakistan would have been much lower.
Matt Prior has been exceptional throughout the series and his batting stand with tail-enders was the highlight of the day for the English side. Otherwise, England failed to impress the spectators, especially during the early hours of their innings.
Wahab Riaz had a fairy tale debut at the Oval taking 5 wickets to become the 9th Pakistani bowler to have achieved this on his debut test. He tore through the England batting with his pace, bounce, and, movement. Pakistan has always had a surplus of quality bowlers in back up and Riaz is no exception.
It remains to be seen how Pakistan respond to this meagre total of 233. Anything in excess of 350 could spark the danger signals for the English side because they would be required to make a strong comeback if they are to make anything of this test.
Being 2-0 down in the test series, this recent fight back is just what the http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Yasir-Hameed-c2811 batted quite well against the English side and this is just the kind of aggression that the Pakistan Batsmen need to show in their innings. Imran Farhat has had a disappointing series, and he failed to impress as he was bowled by James Anderson scoring just 11 runs. There is plenty of batting yet to come for Pakistan and it will depend on the more experienced players like Butt and Yousuf to play some positive cricket and lead from the front. Mohammad Yousuf unfortunately proved to be the only blot in an otherwise decent display of fielding by Pakistan dropping a very straight forward catch of Prior.
Yousuf, however, has not been the strongest of fielders for Pakistan, and he has much to prove with his batting prowess in this innings. He needs to silence his critics and show them the magic he can weave with the cricket bat. His presence can be vital for youngsters and their development can benefit from his experience of the batting conditions in England. Yousuf scored a century in his last test played in England, which was unfortunately forfeited and led to a massive controversy. A similar performance is required of him this time to lead the Pakistan side to a much needed victory.
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