KARACHI: It looks like the world No.1 Test team England could face a whitewash at the hands of Pakistan. Defeat in the second Test left England with no excuse but more pressure from the home country followers and media
Pakistan who emerged victorious in both Test matches eager to clinch the series, this could be the best result for Pakistan in recent time and also for Misbah’s captaincy.
Mohsin Hassan Khan the interim coach said, "I think this team has the capacity to become the world's best team."
Statistical Comparison of Pakistan Top order Batsman
Match No.1 Dubai International Cricket Ground
Match No.2 Abu Dhabi Cricket Ground
Batsman First Inning Second Inning First Inning Second Inning
M.Hafeez 88 15* 31 22
Toufeeq Umar 58 0* 16 7
Azhar Ali 1 NB 24 68
Younis Khan 37 NB 24 1
Misbah 52 NB 84 12
Asad Shafiq 16 NB 58 43
Adnan Akmal 62 NB 9 13
Muhammad Hafeez “The Professor ”, known in the dressing room for his advices , played well in the first inning of the first Test, but could not performed up to expectations in the second. Always handy he gave the break almost in every match with his bowling so he will definitely be the key player in the third match.
Taufeeq Umar did not perform so well in the second Test match as he collapsed twice by Graem Swann in the second. Expectations are not high from him in the last match of the Test series.
Azhar Ali played brilliantly in the second innings of the second Test when Pakistan 4 down was under pressure. He delivered the run but he was also exploited by Stuart Broad twice in the first two matches. Expectations to perform in the third are high since openers are not so consistent.
Younis Khan , with a Test average of. over 50 runs an inning , he couldn’t bring his A game and was disappointing in the series. In the third match he might do something better to avoid critics else he could probably faced media trial.
Misbah (Pakistan captain) “The Calm Person” did an extremely good job as skipper and batsman. The 84 by him in the first innings of the second Test actually put Pakistan in a stable position and ensured a reasonable score on the board against England at Abu Dhabi. He has now to prove himself an extraordinary captain by making a bond between in the players so that matches like in Abu Dhabi turn in Pakistan’s favour. A lot more is expected from him in the last clash.
Asad Shafiq settled his position in the Test squad as he scored 58 and 43 under huge pressure when Pakistan was down with 4 wickets in the second inning of the second Test match against England. The third match could prove very good for a technically strong lad like him.
Adnan Akmal established his slot as reliable wicketkeeper-batsman and that was confirmed when he made 62 runs to ensure in the first Test match a dominant position for Pakistan that lead to an emphatic win over England by 10 wickets. Third Test match would not be highly rated for him as Pakistan won the series 2-0.
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