England v Pakistan Second Test preview: England look to seal series victory

England pulled off one of their greatest ever Test triumphs by snatching victory in the dying embers of day five against Pakistan in Rawalpindi, giving them a 1-0 lead in this three-match series.

Several eyebrows were raised at Ben Stokes’ daring declaration at tea on day four, with the hosts seemingly well-placed to coast to victory halfway through the final day, but some brilliant spells of reverse swing bowling from James Anderson and Ollie Robinson helped propel the visitors to their first Test win on Pakistan soil since December 2000.

With the second Test due to commence on Friday morning in Multan, we preview all the action below.

Pakistan v England – Friday 05:00 GMT

England eliminated any pre-tour concerns of struggling with their ultra-aggressive batting approach on what was assumed to be a tricky subcontinent pitch, by smashing 657 from 101 overs in their first innings. That being said, the pitch in Rawalpindi was incredibly flat, and the fact we had a winner at all was frankly a miracle.

That miracle is almost exclusively down to the approach and belief installed in this new-look England side, unrecognisable to the one that lost 4-0 to Australia last December and 1-0 to the West Indies one month later. This is a team that it confident in the way it executes its game plan and prioritises players that have the ability to deliver match-winning contributions over general consistency.

Despite receiving all the plaudits, Brendon McCullum’s men will nonetheless start Friday’s second Test as 19/10 outsiders, which is perhaps a testament to the significance of home advantage in Test cricket. Pakistan will be more conditioned to England’s attacking approach and will alter their methods accordingly, and are priced at 6/4 to level the series. A draw, which looked for all the world the outcome of the last Test until Jack Leach struck, can be backed at 11/5.

Backing individuals difficult to call

Predicting which individual batsmen will shine for this England side is becoming challenging, such is the nature of their instructions when it comes to attacking the bowlers. As alluded to, this is a method which prioritises amassing runs at a rapid rate rather than slowly building an innings, so quality players like Joe Root may find themselves back in the changing room receiving a pat on the back after failing to break double figures.

The Yorkshire man heads the top England batsman market at 12/5, though his form since the backend of summer has slightly slipped, which has seen the former captain drop to fourth in the ICC test batsmen rankings. Instead, we like the price of another Yorkshireman, Harry Brook (5/1), whose incredible 153 and 87 served as the highest scores for both of England’s innings last time.

Other notable selections include Zak Crawley (11/2), who finally seems to be hitting a decent vein of form, and Ben Duckett (11/2), who backed up his fantastic white-ball display in Pakistan before the T20 World Cup with a maiden test century last week.

In similar vein, punting on Pakistan individuals is likewise tricky, but it would be difficult to look past captain Babar Azam (9/4) after his terrific century in Pakistan’s first innings. Also keep an eye out on opener Imam-ul-Haq (9/2), who amassed 169 runs across his two innings in Rawalpindi.

In terms of bowlers, Pakistan’s Zahid Mahmood got launched around by England’s batsmen on debut, but nonetheless picked up four first-innings wickets to top the bowling figures for the hosts. He heads the market at 2/1 to repeat that feat.

Meanwhile, keep an eye on Mark Wood’s (11/4) fitness ahead of the second Test – some express pace could potentially elevate this England bowling attack – whilst Jack Leach (11/4) will be looking to build on his match-winning moment in Rawalpindi on a Multan surface that will surely offer more assistance to spinners.

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