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CRICKET-ENG-PAK-THREE,ANALYSIS
Three things we learned from the first Test between England and Pakistan
MANCHESTER, United Kingdom, Aug 9, 2020 (BSS/AFP) – England’s dramatic
three-wicket win over Pakistan in the first Test at Old Trafford was a
brilliant advertisement for the red-ball game.
Pakistan, despite not having played international cricket for several
months because of the coronavirus, dominated the majority of the match and
were still favourites when they reduced England to 117-5, chasing a target of
277, on Saturday’s fourth day in Manchester.
But Jos Buttler (75) and Chris Woakes (84 not out) took the game away from
the tourists in a sixth-wicket partnership of 139.
Below AFP Sport looks at three things we learned from an enthralling first
chapter of a three-match series:
Woakes works wonders
Although he recently reached the landmark of 1,000 runs and 100 wickets in
fewer Tests than West Indies hero Garfield Sobers, arguably cricket’s
greatest all-rounder, or England colleague Ben Stokes and has a better
bowling average in England than either James Anderson or Stuart Broad, there
has been a tendency to regard Chris Woakes as a ‘nearly man’. So it was no
surprise that his omission from England’s first Test against the West Indies
last month generated little comment.
The affable Woakes is not one to moan publicly about his lot, sometimes to
his own detriment.
Yet Woakes has since taken 15 wickets for England at a shade under 16
apiece.
Woakes had, however, averaged a meagre 5.22 runs with the bat in his six
previous Tests. But, with England in trouble, he hit his highest Test score
since an unbeaten century against India at Lord’s in 2018.
The astute Warwickshire all-rounder wanted to make sure the second new ball
did not become a factor so went on the attack and countered the short ball by
making room to hit through the off-side.
Plenty of orthodox cover-drives followed in a fifty that came from just 59
balls.
And when Buttler was out, Woakes finished the job.
“He’s Mr Dependable,” Root said of Woakes.
“He’s someone you can always trust to deliver exactly what you want.”
The Buttler paradox
This match saw Buttler make a case for both why he should be in and out of
the England Test side.
Utilising the run-chasing skills that make him such a formidable batsman in
one-day cricket, Buttler and fellow World Cup-winner Woakes turned the tide
when Pakistan were on the brink of victory.
Yet they would have been chasing considerably fewer runs to win had not
wicketkeeper Buttler dropped and then missed a chance to stump Shan Masood
when the opener was on 45 in Pakistan’s first innings.
Masood went on to make a Test-best 156, with Buttler’s keeping in marked
contrast to that of impressive Pakistan gloveman Mohammad Rizwan.
To his credit, Buttler didn’t let England’s victory stop him from
confronting the issue.
“I know it’s not good enough as an international wicketkeeper,” he said.
“If I am going to continue to be a wicketkeeper in this team, I’m going to
have to be better.”
Masood’s persistence rewarded
When Masood toured England in 2016 he averaged a lowly 17.75.
But he kept working on his game during more than a year of international
exile and the now 30-year-old demonstrated great discipline and shot-making
during a near eight-hour 156.
In the process, Masood joined head coach Misbah-ul-Haq as one of just six
Pakistan batsmen to have scored a hundred in three consecutive Test innings.
“It was good application and his hard work has paid off,” said Misbah.
“Now he has proved himself here in England.”
BSS/AFP/ARS/1714 hrs