England vs Pakistan: 5 players from England to look out for in the 2nd Test

After the tough time in Australia and New Zealand, England must have thought that things would be easier for them once they returned to familiar surroundings in the summer.

However, things have not turned out that way and in their first Test of the summer; they suffered a humiliating loss at the hands of Pakistan at Lord’s. Considering the fact that it is a two-Test series, the hosts need to bounce back quickly and win the next Test at Headingley.

Needless to say, there are going to be some changes to the playing eleven, but at the same time, they would not make too many of those. Drastic changes can often backfire.

On the other hand, they are playing a Pakistan side which has played brilliantly and had done the basics perfectly.

If England are to win, then they would have to match them in terms of skill and discipline. Here is a look at the 5 players who will have a big influence on England’s show in the 2nd Test.

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#5 Keaton Jennings

Mark Stoneman’s struggles at the crease in the 1st Test at Lord’s was painful to watch and after scores of 4 and 9, he has been replaced by Keaton Jennings.

The Lancashire left-hander made a century on debut against India back in 2016, and last played for England in the series against South Africa at home last year. Jennings has recorded an average of 43 in the County Championship and scored 2 centuries so far.

It made him an automatic choice, but at Headingley, he will be up against a varied bowling attack and would be faced with challenges that he might not have encountered in the county circuit.

The Pakistan fast bowlers completely overwhelmed England at Lord’s and Jennings would need to be at the top of his game if he is to survive the opening burst.

However, the return of a young promising player to the side is always something that cricket fans look forward to, and particularly when he is making a return in such a crunch game.

#4 Jos Buttler

Jos Buttler

When England’s wicketkeeper-batsman Jos Buttler was named in the England side for the series, there was widespread disbelief and perhaps rightly so, since it seemed that he had earned the recall on the basis of his exploits in the IPL.

He played purely as a batsman and batted at number 7. He was dismissed for only 14 in the 1st innings, but in the 2nd essay, he showed that he could hold his own against a potent bowling attack in Test cricket. He came in to bat at 104 for 5 and played a patient innings.

He hit six fours and made 67 runs, to even raise visions of an unlikely victory for some time. It did not happen, but Buttler showed that he could be a solution for England at number 7 and in the 2nd Test, his show at number 7 could end up being a pivotal one.

He is the sort of player who can take a game away from the opposition in a matter of one session and it would be very interesting to see what he does at Headingley following his 67 at Lord’s.

#3 Ben Stokes

Ben Stokes

Ben Stokes’ first Test match at home following his ouster from the England team last year was largely a fruitful one for the all-rounder.

He might not have looked like the best all-rounder in the world, but Stokes stood tall among the ruins.

In the first innings, he came in to bat at 100 for 4 and was playing a typically strokeful innings before he was trapped in front by Mohammad Abbas. He made 38 off 64 balls and hit 5 fours, along with a solitary six.

However, it was his performance with the ball that stood out, in an English effort in which the frontline pacers - James Anderson and Stuart Broad - struggled to make inroads into the Pakistani batting line-up.

Stokes bowled tirelessly, generated reverse swing and ended up as the team’s best bowler with figures of 3 for 73. He failed in the 2nd innings, but his overall performance in the Test is a positive for England and it remains to be seen if he can kick on and deliver a match-defining performance in the 2nd Test.

#2 James Anderson

James Anderson

He is England’s pace spearhead and the man responsible for giving the team the breakthroughs early on. However, James Anderson was completely off-color at Lord’s.

Needless to say, the Pakistani batsmen applied themselves superbly and negated the danger posed by him but at the same time, it cannot be denied that England’s best bowler struggle at Lord’s.

The top order completely nullified him and there was not much he could do. He took the wicket of Azhar Ali, but then the Pakistani opener had already made a half-century and done his job.

He took two lower-order wickets as Pakistan piled up 363 and put the game beyond England in 1st innings.

At Headingley, Anderson will need to be at his best and if England are to have any chance of squaring the series then their premier fast bowler would have to deliver a good performance. Can he do it? That is what everyone is looking forward to.

#1 Joe Root

Joe Root

He is England’s best batsman and after he promoted himself to number 3, there are a lot of expectations from Joe Root.

In the 1st innings, he played a careless shot that saw him get dismissed for 4 and the 1st innings score of only 184 (after choosing to bat 1st), ultimately led to the defeat in the 1st Test.

England need their best player to score runs and now that he is batting at number 3, runs from his bat have become even more crucial.

Root made amends in the 2nd innings and made 68, but then he could not turn it into a big score. The second Test will be played at his home ground at Headingley and if England are to put up challenging scores, then they need substantial contributions from their captain.

It remains to be seen how Root copes with that sort of pressure against such an impressive bowling attack.