England’s Tour of Pakistan – Series Preview
England are all set to tour Pakistan for a red-ball tour after 17 long years. The English Cricket Team last played a test match in the country in 2005, when they lost the three match test series by a margin of 2-0. The senior-pro James Anderson is the only survivor from that series as he continues to age like a fine-wine. Here is all you need to know about England’s Tour of Pakistan 2022.
Schedule:
The 3-match test series is scheduled to take place between December 1st and December 21st, 2022. The first match is scheduled in Rawalpindi between 1-5 December, 2022. The second test match will take place in Multan between 9-13 December while the third test will begin on 17th December in Karachi.
All the matches would start at 10:00 AM local time, 05:00 GMT.
Squads:
English Squad for the Pakistan Tour:
Ben Stokes (c), James Anderson, Harry Brook, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ben Foakes, Will Jacks, Keaton Jennings, Jack Leach, Liam Livingstone, Jamie Overton, Ollie Pope, Ollie Robinson, Joe Root, Mark Wood, and Rehan Ahmed.
England would field a full-strength test side, with a strong pace-bowling line-up. Spinners are generally more crucial in subcontinental conditions, which is the reason why the 18-years-old Rehan Ahmed was added to the English Squad.
Among test regulars, only Stuart Broad is missing from the team as he is on a paternity leave for the birth of his first child.
Pakistan Team for England Series:
Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Rizwan, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Azhar Ali, Faheem Ashraf, Haris Rauf, Imam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Naseem Shah, Nauman Ali, Salman Ali Agha, Saud Shakeel, Shan Masood, Zahid Mahmood.
The only big name missing from the Pakistan’s side is their premier fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi who suffered an injury in the final of the recently concluded ICC World T20, against the same opposition.
Even without Shaheen Afridi, Pakistan looks like a strong team with a young middle order and promising fast bowlers. The mystery leg-spinner Abrar Ahmed and young batsman Muhammad Ali are the uncapped players in this Pakistan side.
The fast-bowling all-rounder Faheem Ashraf was also called back to the national side for the England series, with the hope of giving Pakistan a balance in their line-up.
Conditions and Combinations:
Spin-friendly conditions are expected for most part of the tour, the Rawalpindi Test Match may offer assistance to the Fast Bowlers as the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium has historically been helpful towards fast bowlers.
Mainly it would be a battle between Pakistan’s spinners and English Batting line-up. Whoever wins that, would go on to win the series.
Key Players to watch out for:
Pakistan:
Babar Azam, Shan Masood, and Abdullah Shafiq will share the responsibility in Batting and will be seen as potent threats to the English side. Muhammad Nawaz and Nauman Ali may come in particularly handy in these spin-friendly conditions. The newbie Abrar Ahmad may raise a few eyebrows in the upcoming series.
England:
The English Senior players Joe Root, Ben Stokes, and James Anderson would be critical to the side’s success in the upcoming series. For England to do well, these three must stand-up and rise to the occasion.
All in all, it is expected to be a good series, with balance slightly tilting in Pakistan’s favor because of home conditions.
