Five talking points ahead of Pakistan playing England
The changed man
The warm-up matches before this series ranged from sublime (Steven Finn’s bowling in Sharjah) to ridiculous (three Pakistan A players batted twice in one innings, four Pakistan bowlers bowled for UAE).
Little of note was learnt. Two batsmen were head and shoulders above the rest, though.
Joe Root was one, making an easy-paced half-century for England at a less-than-easy-scoring Sharjah.
The identity of the other was less predictable. Shoaib Malik was in prime form in Pakistan’s two-day match in Abu Dhabi. It was like watching a man play against children, even when Pakistan’s Test attack were bowling at him.
“He understands cricket better than before,” said Aaqib Javed, the former Pakistan bowler who was the opposition coach last week.
“At this age, he knows there will be no other chances and he has to do well.”
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Moeen’s fitness test
Back in 2012 when the teams last met in the UAE, Pakistan’s Saeed Ajmal bowled 147 overs in the three Tests, or an average of 24.3 per innings.
His mate, Moeen Ali, might have to shoulder a similar workload this time around, given he has arrived as England’s No 1 spinner.
Not a problem, of course. Slow bowlers expect to get through that level of work, even in these toasty conditions.
The master plan hits a glitch, though, when Moeen has to immediately strap his pads on if, as seems likely, he opens the batting for England as well.
It is difficult to see either side ripping through their opposition in the same way England did when they rolled Pakistan in 44 overs in Dubai in 2012, or Australia in 18 overs at Trent Bridge in the Ashes. So Moeen is going to need to show an Olympian level of fitness if he is going to succeed.
Pace is not redundant
Accepted wisdom suggests it is no fun bowling seam-up in the UAE. For example, Pakistan’s spinners Yasir Shah and Zulfiqar Baber took 26 wickets between them in two Tests against Australia this time last year.
Meanwhile, Australia’s vaunted pace attack had just the 10 — between Mitchell Johnson, Mitch Starc and Peter Siddle — to show for their efforts.
England’s strength lies in their battery of seamers, too, but they have reason to be optimistic: they have shown they can do it in these conditions before.
“Last time we were here, we had a decent amount of success, myself and Stuart [Broad] and the two spinners we had here,” James Anderson said.
“We know we can get 20 wickets. We know we are going to have to bowl very, very well to be able to do that. If we perform well in the Test matches it is going to be very satisfying.”
Can Buttler do it?
England say harping back to the past is pointless and they are right. No use fretting about three years ago.
That said, though, there are some things that will never change. One is the fact UAE pitches make for attritional Test matches.
Azhar Ali was the leading run scorer three years ago. His 251-run haul came at a rate of 34.52 per 100 balls.
Batsmen have to be willing to do the grind, and not everyone is minded to do so. Kevin Pietersen, famously flamboyant, managed 67 runs in three Tests — less than Adnan Akmal, Graeme Swann and Broad.
Out of all the touring batsmen Jos Buttler, with a career strike-rate of 58.14, may find the go-slow most troubling.
Playing a natural attacking game can work, as recent history shows, but generally you need to be called Brendon McCullum to make a success of it.
What could possibly go wrong?
Mike Gatting and Shakoor Rana. Allan Lamb, Ian Botham, Imran Khan and a bottle top. Mother-in-laws. Darrell Hair. The News of the World. Mazhar Majeed. Long-sleeved shirts, buttoned down at the wrist.
Fixtures between England and Pakistan generally give the world something to talk about, whether good, bad or worse.
“Because of these controversies, people have always wanted to watch Pakistan and England series to see what will happen next,” Aaqib said.
And yet, both sides have arrived on these shores with an unusual air of tranquillity about them.
Their respective leaders, Misbah-ul-Haq and Alastair Cook, are probably the most convivial, even-minded captains in cricket. Surely nothing will go wrong. Will it?
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