England v Pakistan - story of day one of third test

Not a good day for Pakistan on the field

It was nothing for the Pakistan team, as Pakistan managed to take 4 wickets but not before England initiated to score 300+ score on day first of the test match.

Mayhem on captaincy but...

As accordingly to Social Media platforms, everyone is blaming captaincy, but my point of view is otherwise as blame continuously goes on team management. Even if they feel their captain is not going according to the plan laid down during the team meeting(s), they should indicate the same or send water boy with the reminding of strategy, but it was otherwise as when Crawly was cruising, they should have had been switching gears from Plan A to Plan B and/or likewise, but nothing was seen like that. But sorry to that for guys like Waqar Younis who have been involved with Bowling Coach stint multiple of times now but same mishaps have been repeated continuously, but still we persist with guys like him.

The Captaincy

Not all the blame is on the Coaching staff but also on what grounds, Azhar Ali was elected/selected as the test skipper of Pakistan National Side? Upon Social media uproar? Now instead researching on what we require off a captain, we elect/select skipper on social media fan following, this is ridiculous. Why Social Media is being given so much of the importance when it is an alien concept in our society? What we have been experiencing on first test series after COVID-19 pandemic, is an eye opening for so called "Social-Media-Gurus" and whatever we have watching is because of these social media gurus, they should be answerable because we have been trying to incorporate a concept which is as I repeat again, an alien concept in our society, hence it is still a BETA Version in Pakistan.

Outcome of this test match

Otherwise Pakistan plays extraordinarily from today onward, it is one more point to England i.e. 40 points and/or a Draw i.e. 30, but winning for Pakistan is totally out of the box, as first Pakistan have to score MORE THAN 400 score and afterwards attaining a sustainable lead to challenge England batting on the 2nd innings, which is (I do not want to admit) highly unlikely, but this is unpredictable Pakistan Cricket Team, like Nasser Hussain once said; "Pakistan cricket at its best — one minute down, next minute up!" hence it is highly unlikely to predict anything unless the conclusion of fourth inning, I emphasis on conclusion of fourth innings as quite recently we had seen how a win was set for Pakistan which was snatched by England from Pakistan's grasp.

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Pakistan v England, keeping the media eyes closed and conscious eyes open

This England v Pakistan series is having some surprises for everyone

By the time I am starting to write my blog 1.50 pm in afternoon Pakistan time on boxing day, where severe battle going on between Aussies and the Indians, where initially Indians dominated the earlier hours by taking six wickets inside a nominal score of 250, but than Haddin was retaliating when I got up and started with my work, now when I checked the scores, Aussies are still on 6 wicket loss for the score of 277, and the Aussie debutant Ed Cowen, like other Aussie Debutants in past, starting to show his colours, after ZAK and Umesh Yadav throttled Aussie lineup and rung danger bells just after the jingle bells. I, being a cricket fan, just wish k May the Best Team wins, because both teams which are on the ground playing for the win.

Another two exciting test teams, although one is on the top of the ranking tables whereas another is on the fifth position, but still Pakistan has the chance to play well and raise both, their moral and their rankings, as in comparison to Zimbabwe, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, this is the tough opponent Pakistan is about to start their new years with. Everyone is saying that Pakistan has the upper hand to make Poms lay down on the knees, but I think the other way.

WHY I AM SAYING THIS?

I am saying this because last time, when England toured UAE to play 2 T20 internationals just before the World T20 2010 event in the Caribbean, everyone rated that Pakistan might beat England easily, but English players proved that they are capable of playing outside their English conditions. I am referring to their last venture in the deserts, although many of my fellow colleagues are referring me to their 2005 tour to Pakistan, where Mercurial Shoaib Akhtar took the game away from them, but in my personal opinion, useless to compare that English team with today as today's English team is far more better than that team where their bench strength is a matter of concern for opposition team, this was not the case with Englishmen that time, players like Trescothick, Vaughan, Flintoff are out of the team and are replaced with new blood who are winning them the trophies, and I fear that next 50 over Cricket World Cup might also belong to them as what I am feeling, there are still alot of things in the bag for the English Camp, which they are gonna expose in Australia 2015.

BUT

Still test of how much they can they tackle to hold the pressure of maintaining the same performance of which they won the Male version of World T20 as this is the first ICC Trophy that they have won, so there would be immense pressure over them too while playing against Pakistan.

There are concerns more for Pakistan

WHAT ABOUT PAKISTAN?

Pakistan no doubt on the driving seat, but Pakistan shouldn't get over-confident as this is a genetic problem with them, they should remember one thing that Mushtaq Ahmed is when them, and remember that their last test venture in South Asia was a series win, so useless to get over confident.

Batting woes:

This is the one thing, English camp would surely be eying on, because in the tests, if minus Misbah and YK, Pakistan batting is as bleak as bowling for India, although optimistic personnel might say that we have Asad Shafiq, Azhar Ali etc, but I say they are still new to the arena, they surely need some senior support in order to build their innings, like in their last tour to Pakistan, Inzamam, MoYo and YK were targeted openly by their bowlers like Harmison, this time they are surely gonna cash on by taking wickets of four main batting pillars of Pakistani lineup i.e. Hafeez, Taufiq Umar, YK and Misbah himself.

Past experience:

Two of the young players in Pakistani team, i.e. Azhar Ali and Asad Shafiq, would still be haunted by their last tour to England, where both made their debut, those memories might still hamper their performance, and I am damn sure, Poms' media would surely gonna exploit that factor as well.

Camouflage:

English media is claiming that the series between England and Pakistan would be only a spinner versus spinner. I totally disagree with that.

• Both teams are more blessed with faster bowlers in comparison to spinners.
• Comparison useless, as Pakistan has two frontline spinners in the team in Ajmal and A. Rehman whereas England have Swann and Panesar, the kinda spin bowlers both team possess is of no comparison
• As Mushtaq Ahmed is with their bowlers, he would definitely guide their bowlers how to bowl on those wickets, secondly in comparison to Pakistan, England would be on more high as their last successful test venture was against the formidable batting lineup team...
• It'd be more of a mind game that which team's think-tank went for the best planning for game.

Continuous cricket for Pakistan - Fatigue problem:

One should also remember that from the tour of Zimbabwe, Pakistan has been continuously playing cricket, against the tough conditions of Emirates, than to moist and colder place of Bangladesh, than again to Emirates for Series against England, which could hamper their fitness level for sure, and team management should look into this matter as well as in the past too, Pakistani players got injured in the nick of the time, PCB did the right thing to void their contracts with Dhaka Cricket League, in order to avoid this thing, but they should also give chance to the bench strength guys as well so that we could also know when to utilize their capabilities, as what I feel they are not sure of when to utilize their own BS on the right spot.

More matter of concern for Pakistan than England, as England is coming from a rest period.

POST SCRIPT

Being a Pakistani, I'd love to have my team win but I can't avoid these factors which could hamper team's performance.

Lets accept it!

Lets accept it, Pakistan isn't deserve to be playing in the super 8s after such a disastrous performance in fielding department and right now when I writing this blog Pakistan has dropped two catches, thats why I am not watching this game and instead having a bed rest after having eye infection problem, and that too I think is a wise decision.

Unlike other Pakistanis I am not hopeful for Pakistan to commence to semis, final berth and winning a final is another thing, even if they win it, they doesn't deserve to be, after playing an overall episode of Star Plus dramas in the team, with their director Mr. Yawar Saeed directing the show, I don't think it is going to happen that Pakistan produces the same performance like it showed in England Edition.

Lets accept it Pakistanis that this year its not our turn to win this tournament. Like one of the Pakistani editor of a Cricket website, what about the punishers, players got their piece of punishments but why they punishers were spared?

A question to be asked!

By the way best of luck to all other teams in Super8 berth and let the best team wins, but sorry to say Pakistan didn't deserve to win this tournament. Not blaming coaches or support staff, its the responsibility of management where they've failed, not only failed, failed miserably, and I don't think the team with such performance should deserved to even defend their title.