England vs Pakistan: 5 Things England must change to record a win in the second Test
In many ways, England's loss to Pakistan in the first Test match might not be such a bad thing to happen to the hosts. They could have been forgiven for being lured into a sense of complacency after their one-sided triumph against Sri Lanka. Thus, many of their weaknesses went under the radar, and these very fragilities were brutally exposed by a much superior side in Pakistan.
Thus, as the series heads into the second match in Old Trafford, England would want to iron out their flaws and do away with the blips which cost them dearly in the first match.
Trevor Bayliss and Alastair Cook are wise heads, and they will know more than anyone else that victories in Test Cricket are hard earned, and thus modifications will be needed before the next match.
Here, we look at 5 such changes which the hosts should make for the second Test match.
#1 Fixing the middle order woes
Before the match began, Pakistan's batting was considered to be the most fragile, but the perception has changed after the eventual result.
England's batting faltered big time in both the innings and this cost them the match in the end. And this is not something new, as they were constantly put under pressure against Sri Lanka too. It was Jonny Bairstow who bailed them out of jittery situations time and again, but this will not happen, and did not happen against a superior Pakistan attack. For instance, they were 118 for 1 in the first innings but fell away after the dismissal of Joe Root.
Joe Root has been promoted to number 3, and this has made the middle order even frailer. James Vince has not looked comfortable at all, and he should be dropped for Ben Stokes. Gary Ballance looked solid and he should be promoted to number 4. Stokes will be fit for the next match and he should slot it at number 6 after Bairstow who has been the man in form at number 5.