New Delhi, Oct 27 (IANS): Reflecting on England's 2-1 Test series loss in Pakistan, former captain Nasser Hussain said the Ben Stokes-led side looked a bit lost with both bat and ball when facing deliveries which spun and gripped.
On day three of third Test at Rawalpindi, England were dismissed for 112, as Pakistan eventually chased down 36 comfortably to win the game by nine wickets and secure their first home series victory since 2021. England were 1-0 ahead after winning the series opener on a flat pitch at Multan, but lost the next two matches in spin-friendly conditions.
“It is pretty clear that when the pitch is flat and they can hit through the line, England play great cricket and can be unstoppable. But the moment it spins and holds and grips, they look a bit lost, both with bat and ball.”
“There will always be a discrepancy between completely different surfaces, but they should be looking at why that discrepancy is so huge. This is only the second series they have lost under McCullum and Ben Stokes and both of those have been on the subcontinent. There tells the story that in certain conditions, this side looks a bit vulnerable,” wrote Hussain in his column for Daily Mail on Sunday.
He also pointed out the areas England players lagged behind their Pakistani counterparts in Rawalpindi. “What Saud Shakeel did well in the deciding Test that England batters did not was defend the ball straight, but also work it square of the wicket and play with soft hands.”
“Compare that to Zak Crawley and Ollie Pope, who play with hard hands, go at the ball, try to hit down the ground and don't pick up length. Jack Leach can also look at the way Noman Ali deceives batters in the air by varying his pace and using flight and guile.”
“At the moment, he bowls ball after ball with the same pace. Shoaib Bashir needs to look at the consistency of Sajid Khan. Even though Sajid changes his pace, he hardly bowls a bad ball, whereas Bashir still has issues with his control, even if he is still learning his trade.”
Hussain signed off by saying it’s high time England’s batters, especially Pope and Crawley, show consistency with bat in varied conditions. “In Crawley, Pope and Stokes, England have three of their top six who look a bit vulnerable when it turns. With the New Zealand tour coming up I can't see England making big changes.”
“In general, they are getting the right people towards the side and selecting well. But I do believe the ones that are now constants in the side, like Crawley and Pope, need to show some improvements. They both won their 50th Test caps on this trip, so they are not novices.”
“What I want to see is some consistency, not just a one-off innings where you go, 'Wow, that's why they are in the side', then they go missing for three or four Tests after that. We need to start seeing consistency across conditions, not just those that suit their style of play.”