Two spinners, Rashid in for Moeen, Vince out? England have options at disposal for the second Test against Pakistan July 20, 2016 England have some thinking to do before the start of the second Investec Test against Pakistan at Emirates Old Trafford on Friday as they bid to drag themselves back into the series. Having named a 14-man squad for the clash they have plenty of options at their disposal and there has been a fair bit of [...]
England’s batsmen were naive and need to grow up, blasts skipper Alastair Cook after slumping to defeat against Pakistan July 17, 2016 England skipper Alastair Cook lambasted his side for naïve batting after they slumped to a humbling 75-run defeat in the first Investec Test against Pakistan at Lord’s. Chasing 283 for victory, England again fell under the spell of leg-spinner Yasir Shah, who claimed four second innings wickets to finish with match-figures of 10-141 in his [...]
Skipper Misbah-ul-Haq leads Pakistan revival at Lord’s and out-muscles England July 14, 2016 Centurion Misbah-ul-Haq believes Pakistan need another 100 runs to seize control of the first Investec Test at Lord’s after he led his side’s recovery against England with a majestic ton on a placid wicket. Misbah, aged 42, became the oldest player to claim a Test hundred since 1934 as he finished unbeaten on 110 after sharing [...]
Past is the past: Mohammad Amir–inspired Pakistan will be a stern challenge for England July 13, 2016 All the talk is of convicted spot-fixer Mohammad Amir returning to Test cricket and he is a big reason why I expect Pakistan to provide a stern challenge for England when the four-match Investec series gets underway at Lord’s on Thursday. The 24-year-old looks to be bowling pretty well and swinging the Dukes ball late, [...]
England skipper Alastair Cook urges debutant Jake Ball to seize Test opportunity and rip through Pakistan July 13, 2016 England skipper Alastair Cook has backed seamer Jake Ball to rack up the wickets when he makes his international debut in today’s first Investec Test against Pakistan at Lord’s on Thursday. Cook has confirmed that Nottinghamshire quick Ball, who has claimed 96 first-class scalps, has been given the nod over Middlesex rookie Toby Roland-Jones to [...]
Cricket betting: Comeback kid Mohammad Amir to shine – but England to take series July 13, 2016 England swatted Sri Lanka away in an underwhelming start to the cricketing summer and now face a far stiffer opponent in the shape of Pakistan. The two nations have a chaotic cricketing history, littered with controversy and confrontation. If Mike Gatting’s famous finger-wagging with umpire Shakoor Rana in 1987 wasn’t bad enough, Inzamam-ul-Haq then refused [...]
Cricket betting: Forcing a result could be step too far for England at Lord’s July 13, 2016 When Pakistan last played a Test at Lord’s in 2010, three of their players ultimately ended up serving time in jail. Fast-bowler Mohammad Amir, who was convicted of deliberately bowling no-balls in exchange for cash alongside Mohammad Asif, returns to the home of cricket today after serving a five-year ban from the game. The bad [...]
Joe Root hits back at claims England have will have weak middle order for first Pakistan Test July 12, 2016 England batsman Joe Root has hit back at Pakistani suggestions that his move to No3 will weaken the hosts’ middle order in the first Investec Test at Lord’s, which starts on Thursday. Root’s promotion comes after Nick Compton opted to take an extended break from his struggles with the bat, while all-rounder Ben Stokes is [...]
England pick Gary Ballance and Toby Roland-Jones in squad for first Test against Pakistan July 7, 2016 England selectors have backed batsman Gary Ballance to revive his international career in the middle order after recalling him for next week’s first Test against Pakistan at Lord’s. Ballance has not played for England since being dropped from the No3 slot during last year’s Ashes but, with Joe Root set to take that place in [...]
England’s white-ball depth is now a match for the all-conquering 2011 Test side July 6, 2016 The two men who made their international debuts during Tuesday’s Twenty20 International win over Sri Lanka – Liam Dawson and Tymal Mills – deserve a big hand and it goes to show how much strength in depth England have. Not so long ago England looked as though they were struggling to put a white-ball side out; [...]