Last Updated on 6 years by Charbel Coorey
England: “We’re inconsistent.”
Pakistan: “Pfft. No, we are.”
England: “LOL, please. Have you seen us over the last eight months?”
Pakistan: “Cute. OK. Watch this.”
Pakistan won the “battle of the inconsistent” in the 2nd Test, falling meekly to England in an innings defeat, after a brilliant win at Lord’s.
In an amazing discovery (not really), England finally pitched the ball up, and what do you know? They found success straight away, and won their first Test in nine attempts. Pakistan showed the world that their batting still leaves plenty to be desired, mustering just 308 runs across two innings.
Joe Root and his men should be very pleased with their performance, led by Stuart Broad, James Anderson, Dominic Bess and Jos Buttler. They were a mess after the first Test, and while one win doesn’t solve everything, it was an encouraging performance.
In this cricket opinion piece, I will go through all player ratings, and try to get a laugh or two out of you as well. As always, you are encouraged to share your thoughts!
England
Alastair Cook: Looked good again in the first innings, but got out to a bouncer slower than what my seven year old cousin bowls. Nonetheless, encouraging signs ahead of the big India series. 7
Keaton Jennings: Nearly spat out my coffee when I read Keaton would be back in the England team, but he looked pretty decent. However, with a 50+ partnership already in the bank, in pursuit of just 174, his return of 29 was a bit underwhelming. 6
Joe Root: Joe should start his own line of clothing called “Get In, Get Out” or something along those lines. Batted well, but didn’t convert yet again. Led his team well, though. Was on from the get go. 7
Dawid Malan: Combined for another 60+ run stand with skipper Joe Root but fell without making a big score. As they say, when you spend a lot of time with someone, you tend to become like them… 5
Jonny Bairstow: 21 and relatively solid behind the stumps. Not much to see here. 5
Jos Buttler: One of IPL 2018’s best players had another cracking Test. Brilliant 80* off just 101 balls to take the game further away from Pakistan. Should the ECB request IPL contracts for Alastair Cook, Keaton Jennings and Joe Root to find top form?! 9
Chris Woakes: Was probably most pleased that this wasn’t an overseas Test. Good in home conditions. Backed up Anderson and Broad pretty well. 7
Dominic Bess: So close to a second consecutive half century in just his second Test. This guy can bat, and proved to be a superb night watchman. And he showed he can bowl too. An awesome Test. 9
Sam Curran: Does Sam Curran have a long future as an England Test cricketer? Not sure if he’ll be successful away from England, but a steady Test debut with a 20 and two wickets. 7
Stuart Broad: This Broad has its good and bad Tests, but this one was very good. Finally pitched the ball up, and was rewarded. Six wickets in the Test. Superb. 9
James Anderson: 35 and still going strong. Another fine display of swing bowling. Was good to see Anderson also get the ball further up to the bat. 8
Pakistan
Azhar Ali: Lean run of form continues. But, the most disappointing moment was when a bloke in the crowd had “I love Azhar Ali” on his mini blackboard, and rubbed it off when Azhar was dismissed in the first innings. 2
Imam-ul-Haq: His uncle couldn’t master the art of running between the wickets, and Imam has yet to master the art of first innings batting. Out of his 137 Test runs to date, 126 have come in the second innings. Pakistan’s second innings top scorer, after a poor first innings shot. 4
Haris Sohail: Channeling his inner Joe Root. Another promising first innings start, but nothing of true substance. 3
Asad Shafiq: Got a good ball in the first innings, but pushed harder at the ball than a rugby union player in a scrum. Disappointing Test. 3
Usman Salahuddin: Hard to expect a debutant to carry the bulk of the load when his more experienced teammates were watching with their feet up from the dressing room. Promising second innings effort. 4
Sarfraz Ahmed: Disappointing series with the bat. Playing all around deliveries. 3
Shadab Khan: Pakistan’s only half centurion in the Test. Honest effort with the ball, too. Special talent, is Shadab. 7
Faheem Ashraf: Twice entered the batting crease amid carnage. Bowled beautifully though, picking up three wickets. 6
Mohammad Amir: Honest effort, but just didn’t have enough runs to play with. 6.5
Mohammad Abbas: Honest as well, but you just can’t rely on Abbas brilliance every Test. Batters, step up. 6.5
Hasan Ali: Quite expensive. Showed inconsistency, just like his batting teammates. 5
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Well then, two sides who have shown the world they aren’t number one material, due to massive inconsistencies in performance.
The series ended 1-1, just like quite a few fans predicted on social media, so kudos to you. Next up for Pakistan is two T20Is in Scotland next week. For England – an ODI v Scotland and five ODIs against Australia.
However, the limited overs stuff shouldn’t take away the focus off the need to perform better at Test level. It will be interesting to see what these two sides dish up in the coming months.
Thanks for reading!
