Pakistan still has a big exam headache
There is a sense that both sides learned everything and nothing from an extraordinary second test. Pakistan's winning formula – a full-fledged attack on the ninth day's field – will not be repeated in Rawalpindi, whose selectors are contemplating more enthusiastic cuts and changes. Babar Azam, Naseem Shah and Shaheen Shah Afridi are too talented to be sidelined for long, and Naseem may be needed, especially in Rawalpindi. They have an almost comically underwhelming starting pairing to deal with, the problem is that Abdullah Shafiq and Saeem Ayub alternate between great scores and complete failures, so who to write off? A win in Multan is a much-deserved tonic for the cricket nation, but are we smart about where they go from here?
Clean carefully
It's hard to say which is the more clichéd response to England's failure in the baseball era: the curmudgeon's calls to rally after giving up fancy shots, or a manic insistence on trusting the process, doubling down on his swings with carefree abandon. However, the match situation still has to be played on its merits and this week the tourists lost more wickets due to mishandled sweep shots. No matter how many England teams have expert sweepers to sweep the cricket ball, in the second Test, on a furious surface like Multan, Sajid Khan and Noman Ali were more likely to smell the effort. Blood, it is destructive. England will have to be more cautious with the sweep in Rawalpindi.
Pitch can offer something for everyone
The victory in Multan was Pakistan's first Test victory at home since a thrilling thrashing of South Africa earlier in 2021, when stars like Babar Azam, Hasan Ali and Shaheen were at their peak and international cricket returned fresh to Pakistani soil after of years in exile. in the United Arab Emirates, and there seemed to be many reasons for optimism. But the turbulence of Pakistan cricket has returned with a vengeance, and England can have fond memories of this ground, the scene of that epic quick score. The first victory in the test was two years ago, the best time in baseball. However, its pitch should offer something for everyone, and both pace (Pakistan's Khurram Shahzad, Bangladesh's Hasan Mahmood) and spin (Mehidi Hasan) reaped some reward in the two Tests played there in August and September. But Pakistan's relatively few spinners need greater support in Rawalpindi, and whoever is selected should produce a heroic second Test.
Should England reshuffle the top order?
Few teams have realized that Test cricket is now a better team sport than England, as they are aware of the need to keep players especially fit and fresh. But can the batting lineup accommodate a little more rotation? Ben Duckett aside, England's top three haven't played much on this tour, so could they benefit from a temporary shake-up? Why not give Ollie Pope a rest (assuming Ben Stokes' fitness problems don't land the Surrey man in the captaincy) and give Jordan Cox one last chance, perhaps at number 5 (he normally bats at number 4 for Essex) and Will you place Harry Brook or Stokes at number 3? Brendon McCullum spoke about giving Cox a chance as first-choice wicketkeeper in New Zealand on Sunday, but why not give him his bat now?
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exaggerate it
The last time England had a series of more than two Tests in Asia was in the third Test in Colombo in 2003, when they were defeated by a Muralitharan/Jayawardene Sri Lanka team. Vintage, that's why this tournament in Rawalpindi deserves a big sale. You can see what ends up being a defeat for Pakistan, and it brings more attention to a series that has it all: heroics, mind-blowing scores, unlikely heroes, a battle between bat and ball (at least in the second Test) and Cricket generally impressive and positive. So let's hang Bunting and give it some publicity. Perhaps a sign of our frustration as lovers of Test cricket. It is, of course, but sometimes we overcook it. However, with good wind and cooperation, the third test could give a new justification to this hobby of ours.
