England vs Pakistan: 5 players from Pakistan to look out for
It is believed that Pakistan would go into the 1st Test at Lord’s with the same playing eleven that won against Ireland, and what will come as a boost for them is that their star fast bowler Mohammad Amir is expected to be available after sitting out of the two-day fixture against Leicestershire.
Other than Amir, there are other players in the side who are expected to light up the English summer, and here is a look at 5 Pakistani players that fans should keep their eyes on during this Test series.
The Pakistan team that will take on England in the two-Test series starting at Lord’s on Thursday is quite different from the one that drew a topsy-turvy series 2-2 last time around.
This is a young but enterprising team and ahead of a short series, they have got some match practice. They played the historic Test against Ireland and have been involved in three warm-up games in all.
#5 Shadab Khan
After Pakistan’s frontline Test spinner, Yasir Shah, was ruled out of this tour due to an injury to his hip bone, it opened the opportunity for the hugely talented Shadab Khan to make his name in Test cricket.
He debuted around a year ago against the West Indies, but it was not till the game against Ireland that he played his 2nd Test. In the first Test at Lord’s, he is going to be one of Pakistan’s key bowlers against a side that is not particularly adept at playing spin.
First and foremost, he is a hugely talented spinner, who has had great success in limited overs cricket so far and much of that success has been down to classical leg-spin bowling.
He can bowl a wide variety of deliveries and his ability to bowl accurately is another factor that can often suffocate batsmen.
Although he did not particularly do well in the game against Leicestershire, he did take a 10 wicket haul against Northants ahead of the Test against Ireland and he would draw confidence from that.
Last but not the least, he is a decent batsman and his 55 in the 1st innings against Ireland is a clear indication that he could end up being a hugely vital player for Pakistan in the lower middle-order.