Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.
Has a team ever taken Mike Tyson’s famous aphorism more seriously than Ben Stokes’ England? His jut-jawed attitude to risk and praise has generated a host of notable Tests in recent years, but in Multan’s last generation, his fifth defeat of seven in the subcontinent was a stone-cold knockout.
Usually, the forewarned can be prepared for revenge, especially now that order is very much in the area. However, that is no longer how this England team behaves. They see clear common sense in adopting the competitive method in situations conducive to bowlers, to get their runs on the board before the ball arrives with their name on it. Because, as England demonstrated by going into their shell at the end of their Bharat tour before this moment, dying in a hole isn’t actually a better option either.
And that is the kind of punch in the mouth that Pakistan itself hopes to avoid, while broadcasting its own cunning plan from Multan.
There may just be a significant overhang between the reused surface of the last generation, which had already seen five days of hard-fought action in England’s rare victory in the series opener, and this one, which has undergone a crisis of – placement within 4 days between suits.
Mode information
Pakistan WLLLL (last 5 checks, most updated first)
England LWLWW
Highlights: Kamran Ghulam and Rehan Ahmed
It was once probably the most admirable debut in Multan, as Kamran Ghulam He came in from the cold, after a decade of service on Pakistan’s home circuit, and in the playground of one of its fashionable greats in Babar Azam. His determined and leisurely century proved better suited to the circumstances as he absorbed the force of England’s attack, responded when the opportunity arose and led his team against a total of 366 in the first innings which proved decisive because the sound began. to warm up during the 3 general days of the tournament. The problem, in fact, is re-targeting, especially if Pakistan loses the toss this year and finds itself chasing the sport on a clothed pitch. But one advantage of his years in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy is that he is visible on most of those surfaces before and, as that debut confirmed, he is unfazed at either Test or pace level.
Second season syndrome is a common problem for many young cricketers, but England’s young spinners have it harder than most. Ahmed Rehan He was the toast of England cricket after his fairytale debut in Karachi two years ago, but has since had to wait eight months between world squads, having made a disappointing impact on the Bharat tour in February, with 11 wickets at 44:00. in 3 silent appearances. He has also been inactive in terms of the white-ball set-up, with Adil Rashid showing signs of refusing to give up his crown, and in the future of 20, Rehan has also had to deal with the feeling that he is not the most acclaimed . hometown cricketer, along with his younger brother Farhan, aged 16, creating a place in the Nottinghamshire County Championship after his notable performances for England Under 19s. But with Rehan’s Pakistani counterpart Zahid Mahmood feeling like a second pass during the second Test in Multan, there is a slight threat of England captain Stokes being so uncomplacent in his captaincy. Expect them to rely on it for key breakthroughs with raid boxes, and you’ll be eager to pay religion.
Staff information: Rehan returns, Pakistan unchanged
Why change a profitable system? Pakistan did not look completely balanced in the second Test, with Sajid and Noman bowling over 87% of their overs over two innings, but it worked wonders, and if Pindi’s sound performs as expected, a repeat performance will be more than enough. Aamer Jamal’s batting provided impressive balance in the lower-middle form, although his six seam overs were an afterthought, month leg-spinner Zahid is returning to the scene from his debut in 2022, where he claimed the dazzling figures of four for 235. in 33 overs.
Pakistan: 1 Saim Ayub, 2 Abdullah Shafique, 3 Shan Masood (captain), 4 Kamran Ghulam, 5 Saud Shakeel, 6 Mohammad Rizwan (wk), 7 Salman Agha, 8 Aamer Jamal, 9 Sajid Khan, 10 Noman Ali, 11 Zahid Mehmood
England rolled the cube on a surface that had clearly been adapted to avoid spin and called on Rehan as part of a three-spin attack. It echoes his path in the third Test on his last tour of Pakistan, when he was once again called up at the bottom of the order and stole the show with a five-for in the second innings. In the bowling innings, Atkinson returns later sitting in the second Test, in the field of both Carse, the exceptionally fast all around in this order, and Matthew Potts, and ahead of Olly Stone, again in the country. later at their wedding ceremony and possibly wishing they had spent a lot of time on their honeymoon after all. Stokes, who bowled just five overs later setting the team back in the last generation following a hamstring tear, might want to increase his workload if there is any support from the sound or, more likely, the wind.
England: 1 Zak Crawley, 2 Ben Duckett, 3 Ollie Pope, 4 Joe Root, 5 Harry Brook, 6 Ben Stokes (captain), 7 Jamie Smith (wk), 8 Gus Atkinson, 9 Rehan Ahmed, 10 Jack Leach, 11 Shoaib Bashir.
Sound and situations: Rake and shipwreck?
Pakistan’s cunning plan worked in Multan, so the commercial fans came out again, in another daring ploy to inject time on life’s flattest, most run-heavy surfaces. Brook was talking about the sound having also been “raked”, as the ground staff’s effort to exacerbate the difficult could exist in a sound that obviously suited England’s Bazballers in their last consultation with two years ago. Quite lush outfields will not support a reverse swing at the same level as was shown in the last generation of the Multan Test. The northernmost location, along with the appearance of ice, means some early ends may be in store for the shiny baddie.
Statistics and minutiae
- Pakistan have won five in their previous 15 Tests in Rawalpindi, although none since 2021, when they beat South Africa by 95 runs. Since then, they have lost 3 out of 4, including a draw against Australia, and England’s victory in 2022 was followed by Bangladesh’s two out of two for a historic victory.
- Despite dual ratings of 9 and 16 in the second Test, Harry Brook still averages 101.25 in five Tests in Pakistan. If he makes another 100 runs in the third Test, in less than 146 balls, he will split Ben Duckett’s new record as the fastest batsman in 2,000 Test runs (2,293 balls).
- Abdullah Shafique and Saim Ayub completed their first double-digit opening partnership of 15 in the second. Look at Multan, but his average of 4.70 in ten subsequent innings falls far short of the bottom of any usual partnership in that role.
- Zak Crawley will also be enjoying his fiftieth Test for England. His 32.36 average isn’t much to write home about, but his penchant for gaining weight when he’s ready certainly is. He made a century in his last appearance in Rawalpindi and wants 184 to succeed in 3000 in Checks.
- England have lost seven tosses in a row, going back to the second Test against the West Indies in July.
Quotes
“Adding Rehan’s free spirit and desperation to change the game every time he has the ball in his hand is a huge advantage for us this week. The Legspinners have an incredible ability to break a game open… You’d rather have him and not need him “than needing it and not having it.”
ben stokesEngland captain, can back Rehan Ahmed despite a quiet season for Leicestershire.
