Pakistan Cricket Team will feel confident after West Indies' win: Ramiz Raja
Pakistan's cricketer-turned-commentator and World Cup winner Ramiz Raja feels that the Pakistan Cricket Team will take a lot of heart from West Indies' victory in the first Test against England.
West Indies recently outsmarted the hosts in the first of three Tests, squeezing through to a well-earned victory to go 1-0 up in the series after a riveting final day's cricket in Southampton.
West Indies' win will boost Pakistan Cricket Team's morale: Ramiz Raja
Ramiz Raja believes that this will bolster Pakistan Cricket Team's confidence of repeating the same feat when their tour to England kicks off.
The former cricketer touched upon the frailties in England's batting line-up and stated that the Pakistan Cricket Team can exploit these vulnerabilities.
“Pakistan will feel confident after watching the West Indies’ performance. They will be feeling this England team can be defeated. Their batting doesn’t seem strong, however, the return of Joe Root will definitely help them. But I still feel this England batting line-up is capable of making mistakes. They have a world-class all-rounder in Ben Stokes in their ranks but rest can be put under pressure.”
Speaking about the lack of crowds (England's 12th man in home Tests) in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, Ramiz Raja said that there won't be any home advantage. He said it will actually be beneficial to Pakistan Cricket Team since there will be no support for the home side.
“There won’t be any home crowd advantage for them. During crunch moments, support for the home team is very important. Pakistan now knows that if they play sensibly in England they can beat them.”
Pakistan Cricket Team is scheduled to play a three-match Test series against England followed by as many T20Is in the window of August and September. The announced schedule of the tour is as follows:
1st Test: August 5, Manchester
2nd Test: August 13, Southampton
3rd Test: August 21, Southampton
1st T20I: August 28, Manchester
2nd T20I: August 30, Manchester
3rd T20I: September 1, Manchester