5 reasons why the Pakistan-England series could be just as interesting as the India-SA series

Pakistan play England in a high-stakes yet relatively unknown seriesAs the series between India and South Africa chugs through its initial third, not many have noticed that England have quietly been preparing for their tour of the UAE which beings on Tuesday. With the heavyweight clash of India and South Africa occupying the centre of attention of most fans, the England-Pakistan series has managed to get by without garnering much attention.As the celebrations in England over the hard-fought Ashes victory come to a close, the English team has found itself waiting for their next big test a subcontinent tour against Pakistan. Pakistan have also been successful in their last two series against Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe and are sitting pretty at the moment, waiting for the series to begin.The series will comprise of three tests, four ODIs and three T20s and will be played in three cities Sharjah, Dubai and Abu Dhabi. As the first Test is set to begin on Tuesday, England will be hoping to add another feather to their cap with a victory in the UAE, while Pakistan will look to re-establish their near invulnerability at their adopted home. With the focus firmly on the Gandhi-Mandela series, cricket fans might miss quite a lot of action unless they tune into the Pakistan-England series.Lets take a look at five reasons why this series will be as interesting as the India-South Africa series:

#1 The Rise of New England

‘New England’ will look to assert their dominance away from home as well

Much has been said about England’s pathetic run in ODIs and their failure to get a move-on while batting in the middle overs. Their reliance on “ugly batting” led them being knocked out of the World Cup by Bangladesh, and they were heavily criticized due to their inability to adapt to the modern game.

As a result, the English team was given a complete make-over during their home series against New Zealand. Experienced players were rested, and younger players were put into the fray. Cricketers who had made a name for themselves as power-hitters in the domestic circuit were favoured over England’s more orthodox batsmen in the hopes of scoring faster in ODIs.

The result was instantaneous. Dubbed “New England”, the team scored 408 in the first ODI against New Zealand – the first time they passed the 400 run mark. They crossed 300 runs in the next three games as well, thus winning the series 3-2.

In the ODI series against Australia, they proved that it wasn’t a one-time thing as they nearly gave the Australians a run for their money in the hard fought series. With players like Jason Roy and Alex Hales opening the batting, England made full use of the powerplay and consistently scored 50 runs or more in the first ten overs.

Their middle order is well supported by Joe Root, Eoin Morgan and Jos Buttler, with the captain himself leading from the front. The focus will be on Root especially as he will look to increase his run tally in the subcontinent, where he has not played much.

David Willey and Mark Wood will share the new ball, with Adil Rashid and Moeen Ali acting as the spinners. Against Pakistan in their backyard, New England will have to pull out all the stops to overcome their opponents in the series.

Perhaps the most exciting new thing in ODIs, the England team must look to get the basics right and perform better in all three departments of the game. Eoin Morgan has scored 13 scores of fifty or more in his first 27 matches as captain, and he will look to maintain the same in the coming series. With other important series coming straight up after this one, England must maintain the same level of consistency if they are to repair their damaged name in the shorter format of the game.

#2 Challenge of playing in subcontinent conditions

England must brave the pitch and the conditions if they are to take the upper hand in the series

England has always found Pakistan a tough opponent away from home, and the numbers do not lie. Since 1961, England has only won 2 tests (out of 27) against Pakistan away from home, and none in the UAE. In fact, England has lost all three tests they’ve played in the UAE, and they will look to address the issue.

The last time that England won a test match against Pakistan away from home was way back in 2000, and they are long overdue. Since then, they have had two more chances in 2005 and 2012 but failed to make the most of either series. The current series will be England’s third chance against Pakistan since 2000, and they will look to set the record straight.

Pakistan has had a terrific track record at the UAE, losing only 1 test series in nine in the country. The solitary loss they suffered came in 2002 against a rampant Australian team, but since then they have won three and drawn four test series over there. Particularly last year, they delivered an emphatic series loss to Australia and then held New Zealand to a draw.

With Pakistan having a host of spinners and pace bowlers in their arsenal, England will be wary of the threat they will pose and will do well not to underestimate them. Mahela Jayawardene who is acting as England’s batting consultant will provide crucial insight into the UAE conditions.

While Pakistan has not been as good in the ODIs, they will still have the upper hand over England in familiar conditions. But Pakistan also must not take England lightly as they are in the form of their lives, scoring 300 runs at will in almost every ODI they play.

But more than the tests and ODIs, England will keep one eye on the T20 series that will cap off the tour. This will be England’s last chance to play T20s in subcontinent conditions, and they will undoubtedly try their best to gauge the conditions and play accordingly. It will definitely be a practice series before the start of the World T20 early next year. Pakistan also will not be playing any more T20s in the subcontinent, but their need will not be as much as England’s.

#3 Battle of Spin

Adil Rashid and Yasir Shah will face-off in the battle of the leg-spinners

Spin bowling and subcontinent conditions have always gone hand in hand, and it will be no different in the upcoming series. But unlike most overseas teams who go in unprepared, England goes into the series with two fully qualified spinners at their command.

Both Adil Rashid and Moeen Ali will find their services required more often than not, and their performance will be the key for England. Rashid bowled well in the home series against Australia, picking up 7 wickets – the highest for England. He bowled a good line and length to the Aussie batsmen, often bamboozling them with his googly.

Rashid has been backed by Australian legend Shane Warne, and he also stated that he would love to work the young leg-spinner. After bowling in England, Rashid will welcome the change of scenario in the UAE, and will work his hardest to tweak the ball a long way.

Moeen Ali will be used more of a backup bowler than a regular bowler, but his spin is not to be taken lightly. He ran through India – who play spin well – at home and has constantly troubled batsmen with his variations. Ali will also prove a key player for England as the series will most likely be decided by the spinners.

For Pakistan, making headlines will be Yasir Shah, who has been their best bowler in the last year or so. Shah has picked up 61 wickets in 10 tests so far, and he has been praised to high heavens by critics around the world. Shah has not been afraid to toss the ball up to the batsmen, and his natural variation is very tough to pick.

His 24 wicket haul against Sri Lanka in just 3 tests gave him a lot of well-deserved praise. Partnering him will be the 36-year old Zulfiqar Babar, who has also impressed with his slow left-arm. Picking up 42 wickets in 10 tests, he will provide ample support to his fellow spin bowler as they will face the England cricket team. It will also be interesting to see if Pakistan decide to pick new faces for the ODI and T20 series as Babar is not likely to get a chance in the shorter format of the game.

#4 Misbah\'s likely farewell

With the series against India looking unlikely, Misbah plans to go out after the England series

Earlier last week, Misbah-ul-Haq shocked the world by stating that he was mulling retirement at the end of the series against England. The 41-year-old, who only plays tests for Pakistan declared that he had planned to retire after the tour to India in December, but seeing how that is unlikely to proceed, would probably call it a day after the series in England. He also said that nothing was fully confirmed yet and that he wanted to “finish on a high”.

Misbah has been excellent for Pakistan throughout his career and has been the third highest scorer for them in tests in the last five years. Misbah has amassed 4000 test runs in 58 matches, with eight centuries and 29 half-centuries. Adding to his responsibility of batting in the middle order, Misbah also captained Pakistan cricket since 2010.

In the process, he became Pakistan’s most successful test captain, with 18 wins in 39 tests. His astute and solid batting in the middle along with his very presence in the field will be sorely missed by his teammates if he decides to hang up his boots after the upcoming series.

Misbah’s finest moment as captain came in 2011 where he did not lose a single series and won against West Indies and New Zealand. His first series against England as captain brought about a whitewash as the Poms were buried 3-0 in the UAE.

As a batsman, Misbah holds the record of the fastest fifty in tests as well as the joint fastest century (in terms of balls faced) both against Australia. Misbah’s ability to switch gears in the middle of the match made him an integral part of the team, and the series against England will undoubtedly be further proof of what he can do.

With the cloud of Misbah’s retirement hanging over them, the Pakistan players will play with rejuvenated efforts to make it a good series for their captain, and this will make the series more exciting than it already is expected to be.

#5 England bowlers vs. Pakistan batsmen

The English bowlers must do their best to take out the Pakistani batsmen in their own backyard

As far as internal battles go, one of the more tempting clashes will be the England bowlers against the Pakistan batsmen. On one end are the trio of Stuart Broad, James Anderson, and Steve Finn. They reduced the mighty Australian team to 60 all out in the Ashes test after bowling them out for 128 in just the previous one.

All three bowlers have distinct styles – while Anderson can swing the ball in the air, Broad prefers to move it from the pitch and Finn is your traditional workhorse – happy to toil away and take what he gets.

While there might not be prodigious swing on offer in the UAE, the England bowlers will still have a good advantage of experience, and they will be in full flow come October 13. They will know that Pakistan strive on their middle order, and they will look to rattle them as soon as possible. England will have Rashid Ali who will act as their frontline spinner, and his leg-spin is top-class, which will trouble Pakistan more than they expect.

On the other end are Pakistan’s batsmen, who have more or less been unconquerable at home. With Azhar Ali out injured for the first test, Ahmed Shahzad might get a chance to open with Mohammed Hafeez.

With Younis Khan and Misbah-ul-Haq in the middle order, Pakistan’s batting line-up is as solid as they come. Pakistan will also take heart from Sarfraz Ahmed’s quick-hitting skills and he may be called into action frequently. It remains to be seen if Pakistan continues with Shan Masood or if they give all-rounder Fawad Alam a go, keeping in mind that they might need an extra spinner to tackle England. All in all, this Pakistani batting order will be tough to bowl against, and England will have to play their hearts out.

England must look to quickly adjust to the foreign conditions – especially the humidity – as they will face a resurgent Pakistan in a long tour. The home side have been in good form recently, and they have found a potent weapon in young Yasir Shah. Undoubtedly he will be in England’s plans as they chalk out a plan to tackle the leg-spinner.

On the other hand, Pakistan’s biggest worry will be Joe Root, who has been in fine form. They will take Root’s relative inexperience into account as they hope to prise him out early. Both teams will know that the focus of the cricketing world will not be on them in the next two months, which will only double their efforts to make it a worthwhile encounter.