by When asked if the way England played and won during their last visit to Pakistan in 2022 had a lasting impact, Shan Masood did not hesitate: ‘It had an effect on the world’ .
This series constitutes this English team’s greatest achievement to date, finding a way to win 3-0 on flat pitches and in unfamiliar conditions, and becoming the first, second and third team to score 250 points or more at over 5.30. a finish against Pakistan. They finished at 7.36 in the second innings of the first Test, a figure unmatched in cricket history until India scored 285 at 8.22 against Bangladesh last month.
“The way Ben [Stokes] led in this series has been phenomenal,” said Ollie Pope, who serves as captain for the opening match, which begins early Monday morning. “He took a big risk in that first Test, which paid off, and the nature of the pitch dictated that if there was to be a result there had to be a play like that.”
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Pakistan are belatedly trying to adopt key elements of this team’s approach. “We always play our best cricket when we don’t give away too much information about the outcome and we play an exciting style of cricket when it is fearless, taking the game to the opposition,” said Masood, their captain. “The best thing England has done is realize there are other perspectives and things that might suit you. The key is to find new ways of doing things. This is how the world has always progressed and cricket is no different. You try to evolve and create new pathways and England have been pioneers in that.
This year England have spoken of a “refinement” of their style, but Brendon McCullum insisted on Sunday that it was a misunderstanding. “When I was talking about refinement, I was talking about some of the personnel in our group,” the England red-ball coach said. “It wasn’t a question of approach. The approach has never changed.
England are aware that the path to success in this series could be very different to the path they have charted in 2022. “The key tactic a few years ago was to identify that you need enough time to take 20 wickets in each Test, so we had to force the run rate,” McCullum said. “We will see what happens over the next few weeks. If that’s the tactic we need, we’ll absolutely go for it. If not, we will hopefully be smart enough to adapt. [tactics] and go all out.
A key difference between England’s last visit and this one is that it took place in December. Two months earlier, in McCullum’s words, “the conditions are a little more extreme… It’s very hot, to begin with.” I guess we just have to be pretty malleable with our plans and adapt as quickly as possible. That’s how the game goes, right?
McCullum praised Stokes’ ultimately futile efforts to get back into shape for the start of the series: “I’ve never seen a professional athlete train so hard. I think most human beings wouldn’t have been anywhere near it” – and defended his fast bowling coach Jimmy Anderson’s decision to miss the first six days of the tour to play a pro-am golf tournament .
“He’s been in regular contact with the guys and it’s an incredible sign that two months after taking on this role, everyone misses him desperately,” he said of Anderson, who is due to arrive Tuesday. “Jimmy has the right to live his life, like everyone else. We always seek to ensure that people can have fun, enjoy their family life, their hobbies and their entertainment. I don’t think it’s a big problem.
Pakistan also face some serious problems, having lost all five Tests they have played over the last year, their first under Masood’s captaincy, losing 3-0 in Australia and, most painfully, 2-0 at home. in Bangladesh. “We kept putting ourselves in winning positions, but the game got away from us,” Masood said. “These are things we need to learn from. 5-0 doesn’t look pretty, but we’re in winning positions and the challenge as a team is to make sure that once that’s done, we finish games.
“There is a lot of suffering among the players. 2024 has not been a good year for Pakistani cricket everywhere and we love to see our fans happy. We are hurt. The answer must be positive. We leave the past behind us. »
