England v Pakistan 3rd Test Preview: Weather in focus as teams prepare for final tussle
On paper, a Test series in England between the hosts and Pakistan promised much more than how it has panned out so far. There could be various reasons and determinants as to why it has gone the way it did. Pakistan had their moments during the series, particularly, in the first Test at Manchester. Moments they could have seized, capitalised and pushed England to a corner where they couldn’t do much. If they had done that, it would have been very unlikely of Pakistan. What’s the fun in watching a Test match involving Pakistan, if it doesn’t have its ups and downs.
Nevertheless, the series has almost come to an end with the weather in Southampton playing a nasty role in the second match. Less than 150 overs across five days was not pleasing to watch. However, going into the third Test at 0-1, Pakistan still has a chance to level the series and maintain their record of not losing a Test series in England for a decade.
READ – England vs Pakistan: Bad light issues – Can we just get on with the game?
Will it happen? As much as it is a straightforward answer to say that only Pakistan would know, in this case, it is valid to say that only the rain gods would know. The weather forecast in Southampton doesn’t look great. For the first day, it says there is a possibility of strong showers, and for the third and fifth days, the prediction is moderate or scattered showers.
With the possibility of rain on three days, it is hard to make any sort of concrete prediction on how the match would progress. The manner in which bad light has affected play even if there is no rain has become a point of debate in the second match. Despite all that, both the teams would be hoping that enough cricket happens to have a result.
Team News – England
As England prepares for what is likely to be their last Test match of the home season, they might want to end the series on a winning note. And for that, a win or draw would do. The hosts would probably go with the same squad and playing eleven as there was not enough play to decide whether or not to drop a particular player.
The England batsmen have a point to prove. Especially, their opener Rory Burns and captain Joe Root haven’t scored much in the recent past. Since the start of 2019, Root has scored only two centuries, and he has gone without one in his last fourteen innings. For someone who has been considered as one of the top four batsmen in the world, his recent numbers do no justice. Root might want to end the series well for his team as well as on a personal front.
From the bowling perspective, England might stick to the five-bowler strategy. James Anderson’s performance in the second Test was a highlight, and the 38-year-old is seven short of becoming the first seamer to take 600 wickets. Given the lack of certainty on when his next Test assignment would be, Anderson would be keen on getting as many as he can in the third Test. The rest of the bowling attack probably retain themselves to have one last go at Pakistan.
Probable XI: Rory Burns, Dom Sibley, Zak Crawley, Joe Root (c), Ollie Pope, Jos Buttler (wk), Chris Woakes, Dom Bess, Sam Curran, Stuart Broad, James Anderson.
Team News- Pakistan
Pakistan might not be very happy with the way they have performed in the series so far. Particularly, with the bat, they could have done much better. Barring the Shan Massod century in the first innings of the first Test, their batsmen have failed to capitalise on the starts they have had. A lot was expected of Babar Azam in this series. In fact, he looked the most comfortable batsman out there. Yet, he hasn’t been able to convert the starts into a big hundred.
The form of Azhar Ali is a prominent concern for Pakistan. While he has been facing criticism for his captaincy, Azhar’s batting has grown into a bigger issue. Since January 2019, he has scored just 311 runs in 15 innings at an average of 20.73. If his poor form continues, it wouldn’t a surprise when the Pakistan board calls for a change in captaincy.
Fawad Alam, whose stay in the middle after eleven years lasted for just three balls, deserves a longer run after all the hard work he has put in the domestic circuit for more than a decade. Mohammad Rizwan has shown promise with the bat and is likely to be seen as a long-term prospect.
Pakistan might go in with the same bowling attack as they haven’t done much wrong in this series. Provided they get enough support from the batting department, the four-men attack including Yasir Shah, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah and Mohammad Abbas is very much capable of turning the tide and squaring the series for Pakistan.
Probable XI: Shan Masood, Abid Ali, Azhar Ali (c), Babar Azam, Asad Shafiq, Fawad Alam, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Yasir Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Mohammad Abbas, Naseem Shah