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.
#2 Moeen Ali's role should be looked into
Moeen Ali is not a spinner, he is a work in progress as far his off spin goes, and thus relying on him to win you matches all on his own is a travesty. He is a batsman who can chip in with few overs, but he cannot spin his way to glory.
Only when the batsmen are looking to take the game to him does he stand a chance of picking up wickets, or to rephrase it, of buying wickets. This will not be the case in Test Matches where batsmen are willing to bide their time, and save Misbah none of the Pakistani batsmen will go after him in a hyper aggressive mode.
Adil Rashid is the other option who should be roped in and should be given an extended run. He is a leg-spinner which makes him an attacking option. He is no rabbit with the bat either and fits in nicely with the scheme of things. Moeen can be used as a specialist batsman in the middle order if the management wants to persist with him.
#3 Deficiencies against spin
So much has been said and documented about the shortcomings of England batsmen against spin, and thus this argument appears to be a clichéd one. Yet, it is one of the most pertinent points which demands attention.
Yasir Shah picked up 10 wickets in the first match, and this came on a pitch which did not turn, and where the ball did not grip or behave out of the ordinary. This should be a major cause of concern for Cook and Bayliss because wickets fell to straight balls, except for Ballance's dismissal in both the innings. Reckless shot-making and failing to read the length of deliveries were very obvious reasons. It is one thing failing against spin, quite something else surrendering to straight balls just because a spinner is bowling it.
How will England sort this out remains to be seen!
#4 Aggressive or reckless
After the disastrous 2015 World Cup campaign, England have turned a corner as far as their white ball cricket is concerned. Much of the same attitude has been displayed in Test matches too and this approach has yielded results. However, as David Gower observed during commentary that there is a very fine line between being aggressive and reckless. Some of the shots played during the first match were certainly reckless.
For instance, the shot played by Moeen against Yasir Shah, or Joe Root's pull against Rahat Ali despite a fielder being placed there for the exact shot were examples of stretching the 'aggressive' brand a tad too far.
All the flair is wonderful, but England should realise that along with flair, results matter, even if it means keeping the colour in the cupboard and taking out a more stoic form of cricket.
#5 Tackling the reverse swinging ball
Reverse swing is no longer an alien concept and almost everyone has perfected the art. But when a Wahab Riaz or a Mohammad Amir slings a swinging ball targeting the stumps, there is different magic to it.
The spell by Wahab with the old ball was one of the highlights of the final day, and his efforts will never be talked about because Yasir Shah picked up wickets and hogged all the limelight. However, Wahab was at his menacing best late on the fourth day, and Chris Woakes and Jonny Bairstow were rendered helpless.
This is one more area which needs to be looked into, and since the next match is in Manchester, where the ball generally reverse swings, the tactics and the technique will once again be put to scrutiny.
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