England v Pakistan: 5 player battles to look forward to in the second Test

Contests between two teams are often down to the individual battles that players from either side get involved and more often than not, the outcome of those battles have a huge bearing on the outcome of the game.

In the first Test between England and Pakistan at Lord’s, the visitors won some of the key battles in the game and eventually won the game in a canter.

Tomorrow, they take on the hosts in the 2nd and final Test at Headingley and the crucial game will again throw up a range of fascinating battles.

It is a crucial game for England since they need to win the Test match, so as to avoid a series defeat in the 1st series of their summer.

On the other hand, a victory or draw for Pakistan will result in a series win for them in England since 1996. The battle will be intense and here is a look at the 5 most gripping individual battles in store at Headingley.

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#5 Ben Stokes v Asad Shafiq

In the 1st Test match at Lord’s, Pakistan’s No. 4 Asad Shafiq scored a brilliant 59 and was one of the factors behind the visitors’ excellent show in their batting effort.

His stroke-making and technical proficiency saw him negate the threat posed by most England bowlers.

However, when he was looking good for a big score, he was bounced out by a brutal bouncer from England all-rounder Ben Stokes and the contest between these two is again going to be a big flashpoint when the teams clash at Headingley for the 2nd Test.

England bowled poorly in that innings and the match slipped away from them, as Pakistan made 363, but Ben Stokes was the only bowler who troubled the batsmen.

He was England’s best bowler and he would like to continue with his fine bowling form at Headingley. His battle with Shafiq will, however, be one of the big battles of the game.

#4 Jos Buttler v Shadab Khan

Shadab Khan

When he was included in the Test side, many eyebrows were raised, and considering the fact that Jos Buttler played as a specialist batsman, the skeptics were out in force, when he was dismissed for 14 in the 1st innings.

However, in England’s second innings he made a valiant 67 and proved his worth as team’s No. 7. He might not be the most technically disciplined player, but he has the ability to take the game away from the opposition fairly quickly and therein lies the danger posed by Buttler.

Being a No. 7, it is highly likely that he will run into Pakistan’s leg-spinner Shadab Khan and like Buttler, he is not too experienced in Test cricket, despite being a fixture in his team’s limited overs sides.

The Pakistani leg-spinner bowled well in the 2nd innings, picking up the wickets of Stoneman and Stokes, but Buttler generally had his measure.

That being said, the Englishman’s troubles against leg-spin is well known and it will be interesting to see how Shadab Khan goes about his business in the 2nd Test.

#3 James Anderson v Azhar Ali

James Anderson

Now, not many are in doubt about the identity of the bowler who is the leader of the England bowling attack but at Lord’s, James Anderson struggled to make the sort of impact that he is known for.

Needless to say, the Pakistani batsmen applied themselves brilliantly and negated the threat posed by him as well.

A bowler like Anderson is particularly troublesome for the opening batsmen and in Azhar Ali, he ran into an opener who was prepared to bide his time.

Ali played for almost three and half hours, played 136 deliveries and scored exactly 50 to lay the foundations of the Pakistan innings.

Although it was Anderson, who eventually trapped him leg before wicket, the damage had been done, and the battle between the two at Headingley is going to be another brilliant affair.

It remains to be seen if the English great can get Pakistan’s most experienced batsman early on or not.

#2 Alastair Cook v Mohammad Abbas

Mohammad Abbas

England pretty much sealed their fate when they were dismissed for 184 in their 1st innings after choosing to bat first and the only batsman who stood tall was opener, Alastair Cook.

The left-hander made 70 and ended up as the team’s highest scorer. However, in the 2nd innings, when he was expected to get a big one, he was dismissed leg before wicket by the man of the match Mohammad Abbas.

Abbas was at a different level to the other seam bowlers on show at Lord’s and his accuracy, swing and seam movement confounded the English batting line-up in both innings.

He picked up 4 wickets in each innings and troubled batsmen throughout the course of the Test match.

At Headingley, his opening duel with Cook is going to be one of the biggest highlights and one that could have a huge impact on the result of the game.

#1 Joe Root v Mohammad Amir

Joe Root

Pakistan’s premier fast bowler may have looked a bit out of sorts on the 1st day at Lord’s, but as the Test match went on, Mohammad Amir imposed himself on the game and bowled magnificently in the second innings to pick up 4 wickets.

In the 1st innings, he got England’s top-scorer Alastair Cook with a beauty, and he would like to carry on that form into the 2nd Test match starting tomorrow.

The game also witnessed a battle between him and England’s best player Joe Root in the 2nd innings of the Test.

It was an intense battle and although the left-arm pacer could not get the wicket of the England captain, it was a clash that proved to be absorbing.

They will clash again at Headingley and the direction of this particular battle is going to have a huge bearing on the ultimate result of the game.

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