Daijiworld Media Network - Sports

Manchester, Jul 22: Hello and welcome to the Second Test match of the series between England and Pakistan. I along with Krishna and Akshay Maanay will be calling the shots and hopefully we'll all have a ball by the end of day's play. Although it was a see-saw battle for most part of the 1st Test, Pakistan's perseverance with both bat and ball proved effective as compared to England's vulnerability against spin. Yasir Shah, who Ben Stokes rates as the best leggie post Shane Warne, was all over England like a rash. Can the hosts avoid another rash and bounce back in style? All to play for here at Old Trafford in Manchester - A city that's more famous for football than cricket.

England have won the toss and have opted to bat.

Pakistan (Playing XI): Mohammad Hafeez, Shan Masood, Azhar Ali, Younis Khan, Misbah-ul-Haq(c), Asad Shafiq, Sarfraz Ahmed(w), Wahab Riaz, Mohammad Amir, Yasir Shah, Rahat Ali

England (Playing XI): Alastair Cook(c), Alex Hales, Joe Root, James Vince, Gary Ballance, Ben Stokes, Jonny Bairstow(w), Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes, Stuart Broad, James Anderson

Pitch report: There will be something for the spinners. Historically, tweakers have had great success as compared to the pacers. I would like to believe it would be a tad quicker than what we saw at Lord's

Weather: Will stay clear for most part of the day, but rain's expected in the third session. 

What is a game without fans? Penning his views for The Telegraph, Scyld Berry reveals something interesting: 'Pakistan supporters have always flocked to Old Trafford for their countrys one-day internationals, but will they do so for the second Test, which starts tomorrow? The prevailing pattern could begin to change, because this Pakistan team are not only winning but doing everything they can to rehabilitate their image after the spot-fixing scandal of 2010.'

Michael Vaughan, the former English skipper, offers a piece of advice in The Daily Mirror 'When you're up against real quality you've got to understand defence and have an ability to survive a bit of time to give yourself the chance to see what the quality bowling is like and the more you are out there then the easier it becomes.' Well said, sir!

The Guardian's Mike Selvey nails it perfectly on where England lacked in the first game 'England failed at Lords largely because the top-order batting could not cope against three excellent left-arm pacemen and Yasirs wrist spin, with reliance too heavily placed on Alastair Cook, Joe Root and Bairstow. '

For Pakistan: 'Don't fix it, if it ain't broke,' they say. Pakistan, most likely, would justify the same unless there's a last-minute injury scare. Reports suggest Yasir Shah was hit on the left shoulder during a practice session. The 30-year old, however, is expected to be fit before the start. Bar that, no more chops and changes I would believe.

Preview:

In the last 18 months, only once have England fallen behind in a Test series before the ongoing one against Pakistan. They succumbed to spin against the same opponents in the United Arab Emirates last year and eventually went on to lose the series 2-0. Few months down the line, they are down 1-0 yet again, and a familiar face in the form of legspinner Yasir Shah has haunted them by picking up ten wickets at Lord's.

The hosts will be desperately looking for a quick turnaround in the second game starting on Friday (July 22) and have been boosted by the return of James Anderson and Ben Stokes, who are expected to slot into the playing XI straight away. More importantly, England will be vary of the threat Yasir Shah could pose on a track that has traditionally assisted the spinners in recent times. The pitch could also pose a selection headache for the England management as they might ponder playing both Adil Rashid and Moeen Ali despite the latter's poor outing in the first Test.

The major issue to be addressed though will be the middle order which has looked shaky in recent times. James Vince is yet to make a statement since his debut against Sri Lanka despite scoring an enterprising 42 in the second innings at Lord's. The recalled Gary Ballance was troubled continuously throughout his knock of 43 by the leggie and one among these two could miss out if England opt to play both the spinners. Chris Woakes will relish bowling on this track after bagging 11 scalps in the series opener and the fact that he batted more than 200 deliveries in the match would please Trevor Bayliss more.

For Pakistan though, it is about not being complacent after putting up an impressive win despite the buzz surrounding Mohammad Amir's Test return. The left-arm quick had a quiet outing but might have a bigger role to play with the pitch expected to have some bounce in it. Rahat Ali made an impact in the second innings by knocking out England's top order and Wahab Riaz had his moments as well whenever the ball reversed even though he picked up only two wickets in the Test.

Misbah-ul-Haq's century in his first-ever Test on English soil should inspire the misfiring top order. Azhar Ali and Younis Khan had a quiet game but the latter spent plenty of time out in the middle which should hold him in good stead. Asad Shafiq and Sarfraz Ahmed made vital contributions in the win and could frustrate the English attack especially with their capability against spin.

Team News:

England: The management has trimmed down the squad to 12 by leaving out Steven Finn and Jake Ball. James Anderson and Ben Stokes are expected to play and considering Yasir Shah's impact in the first Test, England could be tempted to field Adil Rashid. Will Moeen make way in that case?

Pakistan: The visitors are highly unlikely to change their winning combination. Shan Masood is expected to retain his spot at the top of the order despite averaging just 24 in his Test career so far.

Did you know?

- The average runs per wicket at Old Trafford since Jan 2006 is 30.16 - second lowest for a venue in England after 29.50 at Trent Bridge.

- Pakistan haven't had a fifty-plus stand for the opening wicket against England in England in the last 23 innings. Six out of the last eight partnerships didn't reach double figures.

- After his marathon 263 against Pakistan in Abu Dhabi last year, Alastair Cook hasn't reached three figures in his last 19 innings.

What they said:

'This pitch will suit both forms of our attack. I think our seamers will do very well here with the extra bounce. They had a role to play in the last game, but probably didn't start as well as they would have liked,' Steve Rixon,Pakistan's fielding coach, is confident of his seamers making a bigger impact.

'I thought I was going to be back earlier than I was, purely because of how good the rehab was in the first few weeks. I am here now and I'm back fully fit.' Ben Stokes, Englandall-rounder, is raring to go after being recalled.