England vs Pakistan 2nd Test: 5 difficult decisions the teams have to make ahead of the game

#4 What should the toss-winning captain do in Southampton?

England v Pakistan: Day 4 - First Test #RaiseTheBat Series

Pakistan's decision to bat first in the 1st Test at Old Trafford did seem to work in their favour until their capitulation in their second innings, leading to a very important question for this Test match - what should the toss-winning captain opt for?

In the previous Test against West Indies at Southampton, England won the toss and opted to bat, only to suffer a 4-wicket defeat. The game, as well as the 1st Test against Pakistan, showed that the spinners did get enough purchase in the final innings, casting a doubt over whether bowling first is the right option as well.

With the conditions expected to be overcast, the fast bowlers should get movement early on, and decision upon winning the toss can go either way.

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#3 Do England need to play Jack Leach?

England Warm Up Match - Day 3

Jack Leach was in England's reserve list for the 1st Test and with Dom Bess not doing much to justify his place in the XI, the Ashes hero could make a return to the Test playing XI.

The off-spinner always looked like picking up wickets when the batsmen looked to take him on, but he was largely ineffective when Pakistan were on the defensive. Bess is handy with the bat in hand, but Leach has proved to be difficult to dislodge, and the left-armer accuracy with the ball might just tip the scales in his favour.

England are yet to announce their squad for the 2nd Test and when they do, we could see Jack Leach make an appearance.