Richard Mann takes a look at the key head-to-head battles ahead of the forthcoming Test series between England and Pakistan.
Alistair Cook is now England’s leading Test match runscorer but comes into this summer under a little bit of pressure following a run of low scores in Australia and New Zealand. Melbourne aside, where he compiled a majestic unbeaten 244, Cook endured a torrid time of things and failed to pass fifty on any other occasion in the winter. Particuarly worrying were Cook’s troubles against left-arm pace, with Trent Boult causing him all sorts of problems and claiming his wicket four times in four innings in New Zealand. In Mohammad Amir, Pakistan have a bowler in the same mould; a left-arm seamer with a whippy action who can swing the ball both ways at good pace. Amir is seemingly at a crossroads in his career, with the inevitable wear and tear on his body raising the possibility of him managing his workload going forward. Nevertheless, the prospect of having another crack at England in swing-friendly conditions is said to be spurring Amir on and coach Mickey Arthur yesterday reported his bowling spearhead to be in ‘perfect shape’ ahead of this huge series. Amir's record on these shores is mightily impressive, 42 wickets at 26.26, and he hasn’t always been the recipient of the best support from his teammates in the field. Murmurings that Cook might now be on the wane continue to get louder but England desperately need him to provide strong starts and Amir will know that this battle could go a long way to deciding to series.
With a rookie opening partner for company, Azhar Ali will know there is huge responsibility on his shoulders at the top of the Pakistan batting order, especially following the retirements of Younis Khan and Misbah-ul-Haq. Ali handled English conditions very well when touring here in 2016, making 295 runs at an average of 42.14, and opening the batting has seemingly inspired him to take his game to another level, as demonstrated on the subsequent visit to Australia. Even in a losing cause, Ali handled everything the home attack could throw at him, scoring over 400 runs in three games, and a majestic double hundred in Melbourne underlined what he a fabulous player he has become. Someone who can go very big once he gets in, England will be desperate to get him early and as ever, Joe Root will be relying on James Anderson to do the trick. Anderson is already firmly established as one of the game's greats, if not the finest bowler England has ever produced, and 531 Test match wickets puts him right at the top of the tree. Anderson enjoyed another splendid summer last year and even though England were on the receiving end of a hammering in the Ashes a few months later, Anderson left Australia with his glowing reputation firmly intact following a strong winter’s work which saw him once again prove himself to be head and shoulders above the rest of the English attack. Even though he is approaching his thirty-sixth birthday, Anderson’s early-season form for Lancashire has indicated he remains a master of his craft and armed with his trusty Dukes ball, he should give Ali the sternest of examinations. Their battle could make for fascinating viewing.
The two wicket-keepers always have crucial parts to play but for both Jonny Bairstow and Safraz Ahmed, there might be even more on the line than usual. Having taken a while to get to grips with the demands of Test cricket, Bairstow has firmly established himself of one of England’s most valuable assets, his rock-solid glove-work backed up by a batting average approaching 40. Most of Bairstow’s England career has been spent batting at number seven, often with the lower order for company, but with it now blatantly obvious that he is one of the side’s most dangerous batsman, captain Joe Root has made the sensible move to promote his Yorkshire teammate to the pivotal number five position. With that added responsibility and fellow keeper Jos Buttler returned to the Test side, Bairstow will feel he needs to enjoy a strong summer to justify the faith placed in him. Pakistan skipper Safraz is another who might be feeling the pressure given his side comes into this series in patchy form and with an inexperienced batting line up. To balance the side, it seems highly likely that Safraz will find himself batting at number six, increasing his workload even further. Like Bairstow, his career batting average is only marginally below 40, and this pugnacious player will know he needs those kind of numbers in the next few weeks if his side are to thwart such a potent England bowling attack.
"It means the people in charge have got the belief in you to go out and deliver."
— ICC (@ICC) May 19, 2018
Jonny Bairstow is happy to move up and bat at number five for England.
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