PAK vs ENG 2024/25, PAK vs ENG 3rd Test Match Preview

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PAK vs ENG 2024/25, PAK vs ENG 3rd Test Match Preview

Big picture: Rawalpindi? Rawalpindi…

Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.

Has a team ever taken Mike Tyson’s famous aphorism more than Ben Stokes’ England? Their risk-and-reward attitude has earned them a number of impressive Test performances in recent years, but in Multan last week, their fifth defeat in seven on the subcontinent was a crushing defeat.

At 73 for 0 and 211 for 2 in the first innings, England’s batsmen were reeling – especially that of Ben Duckett, whose fourth Test century featured another sweeping sweep. After that, however, England amassed 224 for 18 in the remaining overs, as they ran into a one-two combo from Pakistan’s Sajid Khan and Noman Ali.

Usually, it will be pre-empted by a repeat, especially since the series is now on the line. But that’s not how this England team rolls. They see a clear sense in taking an aggressive approach in bowling situations, getting their runs on the board before that ball with their name arrives. Because, as England showed to go into their shell at the end of their tour of India earlier this year, dying in the hole is not the best option either.

And, as England became popular in this area two years ago, it doesn’t stay there when it’s going well. Pakistan’s policy came into effect in 2022, when the visitors went on the offensive on a rare opening day, scoring 506 in 4 overs in 75 overs, centuries from Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope and Harry Brook, all four will return for the second helping in the coming days.

And that’s the kind of punch in the mouth that Pakistan itself will be hoping to avoid, as they operate their own stealth program from Multan.

There could be a stark difference between last week’s recycled venue, which saw five days of grueling testing in England’s dramatic series opener, and this one, which has been hastily resolved in four. days between games.

In all the work done by field workers, where industrial fans and heaters are sold or to build an air tunnel for demolition, they may struggle to open any cracks at the top if they were not there in the first place. England are certainly not preparing as if they are going to a minefield on day one. Instead, they lined up before practicing for a six-batsman tournament, with Rehan Ahmed beating Brook in the final, and Brendon McCullum hitting Stokes with the longest over of the day.

However, they made up for the lack of backswing on an attractive pitch, and reduced their omission of second-best seamer Rehan – whose legs can take a wicket on the move. It is difficult, as it happened in the long hop for Babar Azam who scored his first five-for, as he runs through the line-up when they go in his favour.

Back comes Gus Atkinson as well, a very effective man to come off the bench, although Brydon Carse’s absence will be a tough gap to fill. He took nine wickets at 24.33 in the first two Tests, an impressive return by any opener’s standards. Achieving such figures in the heat and dust of Multan, however – and in the shadow of England’s epochal 823 for 7 declared – was rare indeed.

Either way, we’re in for the kind of Grandstand finish that didn’t look far off the cards after England flexed their muscles in their first innings win. Pakistan have not won a series at home since February 2021, but there is confidence in their cricket now. That is best illustrated by the complementary but opposite spin styles of Noman and Sajid, but it is also evident in Kamran Ghulam’s combined arrival in the side, and the doughy lower-order resistance that Salman Agha oversaw in their crucial second innings in Multan. For all the flaws left in their setup, they have a puncher’s chance now.

Form guide

Pakistan WLLLL (The last five tests, the most recent being the first)
In England LWLWW

Highlights – Kamran Ghulam and Rehan Ahmed

It was one of the first landmarks in Multan, as Kamran Ghulam came in from the cold, after ten years of service in Pakistan’s domestic circuit, and replaced one of the modern luminaries in Babar Azam. His steady and measured century proved to be in keeping with the circumstances, as he held the pressure of England’s attack, bounced back when the opportunity arose, and steered his side to a decisive first innings 366 as the field began to decline. burn through the last three days of the game. The challenge, of course, is to sustain that effort, especially if Pakistan lose the toss this time and find themselves chasing the game in a worn environment. But one of the good things about his Quaid-e-Azam trophy-winning years is that he has seen all these things before, and as shown for the first time, he has no qualms about stepping up to the Test level.

Second season syndrome is a common challenge for many young cricketers, but England’s young bowlers have it tougher than most. Rehan Ahmed it was cricket in England after his debut in Karachi two years ago, but since then he has had to wait eight months between international opportunities, having done well on the tour of India in February, with 11 wickets at 44.00 in three defeats. visibility. He was also buoyed by the white-ball format, with Adil Rashid showing no signs of relinquishing his title, and at the age of 20, Rehan had to contend with the idea that he was no longer the most respected cricketer in his game. family, and his younger brother Farhan, 16, made headlines at the County Championship for Nottinghamshire after his impressive performance for England Under-19s. But if Rehan’s Pakistani counterpart Zahid Mahmood feels like a backup during the second Test in Multan, there is a small risk that England captain Stokes will not be welcomed as his captain. Expect him to be relied on to make significant gains on the offensive end, and he’ll be ready to return the faith.

Team news: Rehan returns, Pakistan unchanged

Why change the winning formula? Pakistan did not look well balanced in the second Test, with Sajid and Noman bowling more than 87% of their overs in the two innings, but it worked well, and if the Pindi pitch behaves as intended, a repeat of the match it will be enough. . Aamer Jamal’s batting provided vital balance in the lower middle order, even if his six overs were an afterthought, while leg-spinner Zahid returns to his starting line-up in 2022, where he scored an impressive 4 for 235 in 33 overs.

Pakistan: 1 Saim Ayub, 2 Abdullah Shafique, 3 Shan Masood (capt), 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 dice in an area clearly headed for spin, and recalled Rehan as part of a three-spin attack. It is an echo of their arrival in the third Test on their last tour of Pakistan, when he was called up again in the series finale and stole the show with a second innings five-for. On the seam-bowling front, Atkinson returns after sitting out the second Test, replacing both Carse – the leading fast bowler on both sides of this series – and Matthew Potts, and ahead of Olly Stone, after his wedding again. maybe you wish you had gone on a honeymoon after all. Stokes, who bowled five overs after returning to the team last week following injury, may need to step up his workload if there is help off the field or, possibly, in the air.

England: 1 Zak Crawley, 2 Ben Duckett, 3 Ollie Pope, 4 Joe Root, 5 Harry Brook, 6 Ben Stokes (capt), 7 Jamie Smith (wk), 8 Gus Atkinson, 9 Rehan Ahmed, 10 Jack Leach, 11 Shoaib Bashir.

Tone and mood: Rake and spend?

Pakistan’s cunning plan worked well in Multan, so out came the industrialists again, in another bold campaign to inject life into one of the flat, overcrowded areas there is. Brook was talking about the pitch being “played out” again, as the players tried to stir up any tension that might have existed on a pitch that suited England’s Bazballers on their last tour two years ago. A fertile outfield may not help the retreat to the same extent as was evident in the second Test at Multan last week. A more northerly location, which coincides with the onset of winter, means that fewer of the bad light ends may be seen.

Math and trivia

Pakistan have won five of the last 15 Tests in Rawalpindi, although they have not won since 2021, when they beat South Africa by 95 runs. Since then, they have lost three of four – including a draw against Australia – with England’s win in 2022 followed by two in Bangladesh for a historic series win.

Despite two scores of 9 and 16 in the second Test, Harry Brook still averages 101.25 in five Tests for Pakistan. If he makes another 100 runs in the third Test, in less than 146 balls, he will break Ben Duckett’s new record of fastest batsman to 2000 Test runs (2293 balls).

Abdullah Shafique and Saim Ayub found their first double-figure opening partnership of 15 in the second Test at Multan, but their average of 4.70 after ten innings remains the lowest of any regular partnership in that role.

Zak Crawley will be playing his 50th Test for England. His average of 32.36 isn’t much to write home about, but his penchant for going big when set is. He made a century in his last appearance in Rawalpindi, and needs 184 to reach 3000 in Tests.

England have lost seven toss in a row, dating back to the second Test against the West Indies in July.

Quotes

“Adding Rehan’s free spirit and willingness to change the game every time he’s in possession is a huge bonus for us this week. Legspin players have an amazing ability to open up a game… You’d rather have it and not need it than need it and not have it.”
Ben StokesEngland captain, is ready to back Rehan Ahmed despite a quiet season for Leicestershire.

Andrew Miller is the UK editor for ESPNcricinfo. @miller_cricket

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