England vs Pakistan: 5 players from England to look out for

After the disappointment in the Ashes and the series in New Zealand, England are finally back in familiar territory and are going to start their summer at home with the 1st Test at Lord’s against Pakistan. Like the visitors, England are also a work in progress and are in the process of a rebuild, which is why this series promises to be a closely-contested one. A home series is one in which a team can try out new players while also bringing about changes in strategy and England are going to do exactly that in this two-Test series against Pakistan.

Despite the proposed introduction of new players, England still have plenty of seasoned players in their side and they would count in tight moments. They are also going to try out new players in the series and some would be making their comebacks to the side. The England squad will have players from all those three categories and here is a look at 5 players who are going to be the point of focus for most fans.

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#5 Dominic Bess

The spin department has been the biggest weakness in the English bowling attack for quite some time and while Moeen Ali did a job, he was never really cut out for it against good batting sides. 20-year-old right-arm off-spinner Dominic Bess is all set to make his debut at Lord’s and will be the 3rd spin bowler to be handed his debut by England in the space of four Test matches.

Unavailability of Jack Leach and Mason Crane due to injuries has opened the path for him and Bess’s performance at Lord’s will be something everyone will be interested in. In addition to that, it must be noted that he will be coming up against a team that historically pays spin well and hence, the Somerset bowler who regards Graeme Swann as his idol is going to have a big battle on his hands.

#4 Ben Stokes

Ben Stokes

He is the best all-rounder in the world and after the troubles of the past year, Ben Stokes plays at home for the first time and he would want to make the series a memorable one. However, he would be coming straight back from the madness of T20 cricket to the tranquil surroundings at Lord’s and that will perhaps need a bit of adjustment.

Stokes’ last Test was in New Zealand and in that game, he bowled a handful of overs as he worked his way back to full bowling fitness. However, in this series, there would be no such worries and he would be equally important for England in both departments of the game. It remains to be seen how he copes with the added pressure of a home crowd, after the events of last year and if he does deliver some vintage performances, then England would find themselves in a great position to win the series.

#3 James Anderson

James Anderson

He is going to be 36 by the time the English summer ends but James Anderson seems to be an ageless warrior and his performance in this short series against Pakistan will again be the key to England’s fortunes. With 531 wickets to his name, he is his nation’s highest wicket-taker and he would like to add may more to his tally, starting with the first at Lord’s this Thursday.

His ability to generate swing with the new ball is legendary but at the same time, he is an excellent exponent of reverse swing and is a deceptive bowler to face when the ball gets old. He is going to be a very tough prospect for Pakistan’s young batting line-up but at the same time, it would be interesting to see how the warrior continues to cope with the rigors of the longest formats of the game.

#2 Jonny Bairstow

Jonny Bairstow

The England batsman has been the team’s best batsman over the past 7 months or so and despite being made the team’s wicketkeeper-batsman, Jonny Bairstow performed both jobs admirably. He has been brilliant in the middle-order and during the tough tours to Australia and New Zealand, he made two centuries and averaged 36.07. He has come of age as a batsman and as a reward, he has now been promoted to bat at number 3.

One of the reasons why he could not score more runs in the rich vein of form was that he batted too low down the order and often ran out of partners. However, number 5 is a pivotal position in the middle-order and he would often have to play the 2nd new ball. It is going to be very interesting to see how England’s most in-form batsman manages to perform in his new role.

#1 Joe Root

Joe Root

As far as sheer talent is concerned, he is England’s best batsmen and until recently, Joe Root was counted among the best batsmen in the world. However, he has had a rough patch of late in Test cricket and a series at home provides the embattled young England skipper with the perfect opportunity to get back into his best shape as a batsman. It is not that he did not get runs but what troubled him was the fact that he was unable to turn excellent starts into big scores and that is something he would like to address this summer.

In a shake-up of the batting line-up, Root will bat at number 3 from on and it is only natural that the team's most gifted all-around batsman gets to bat at such a key position. He has the technique to play against the moving ball and also has the game to unfurl the strokes when the time comes along. In the series against the same opponents two years ago, he was the top scorer in the series with 512 runs and also scored a superb 254. He would like to draw inspiration from that series to relaunch his career as a batsman, who is perfectly capable of scoring big hundreds.