Spin turns second match in favor of Pakistan

Another match of England vs. Pakistan series ends without going into fifth day. Thanks to spinners, they once again prove that defending low total is the art of determinant bowling. Well good news for Pakistan fans and morn for English lovers. Till the fourth day its all happening in favor of England, but one bad session or I must say that good bowling from spinners of Pakistan took the match away from England.

The Second test brings much happiness to Pakistan camp as defeating rank no.1 Test team is a joyful event. As second Test brings so much to talk about Pakistan leadership, team effort, their bonding and moral, it also raises the alarm for England. A team that hasn’t lost from nine tests has got out twice under 200 margins and once under 100 in the four innings they played. The team has its three players in top ten ranking failed to record any resilience.

Pakistan fans have lot to cheer about. Abdur Rehman took 6-25, his career best effort so far. With that Pakistan lead the series with 2-0. Saeed Ajmal record his 100^th wicket, as Matt Prior became his 100^th victim, he done it in only 19 matches, took minimum matches for Pakistan to complete this record. With that effort step one place up to ranking and is now at 2^nd position. Also with match winning performance of Abdur Rehman he also share the top ten chart with Saeed, as he positioned at 9^th place. Talking about Rankings not to forget the captain (Misbah ul haq) his efforts in first inn made his place to 8^th position on charts.

Second Test surely belongs to Spinners, especially left armers as Monty Penesar took 6 wickets also Rehman took 6 wickets both in 2^nd innings. Abdur Rehman who waited very long for this opportunity as his role with Saeed ajmal is to support him. In the other hand Penesar made his sensational come back. He dismantles the top order and showed some hope to England team. Abdur Rehman soon ruin all their happiness and joy of English camp as they only needed 145 to win but they only manages to made have of it.

Now the worlds eye on the third match between the two teams, to see whether downfall of no.1 test team has just started, because England this year will not play much matches in their home ground, the tough teams like South Africa, Australia and SriLanka waited for their turn. While Pakistan has already proved their point, and nothing much left for Pakistan to prove now, except to make a clean sweep to England. How strong England will prepared for third test, and will Pakistan Spinner make the series sweep happen for team?

Spin Alarming a challenge for England’s top order….

First Test between England and Pakistan has end with Pakistan win by 10 wickets. With the joys of win, a question for England has popped up and that is about there spin playing abilities? Spinners took fifteen wickets in the first match, especially Saeed Ajmal with extraordinary effort and show the way of pavilion to ten England Batsmen. So is it the fear of Saeed Ajmal that over run the mind of English Batsmen, as Umer gul took 4 wickets with leg side deliveries.

The signs of panic showed very early by English players in 1^st innings when only on 10 runs they loss their first wicket, and since then they never come up with better strategy than Pakistan. But ince again the cradet to this victory goes to Pakistan Bowlers, as during last year as well we witnessed many games in which bowler give control of match to the command of Pakistan camp.

On a track which continues to be assumed a good batting track the match ends within three days with no one scored a century, though Mohammed Hafeez gets very close but couldn’t finish with three figures. So is it alarm for both of team to go through their batting order and revise if they can. Now five day gap with two days to left and once again cricket fans are ready to see some exciting Test cricket.

Both of the team have to come in the field with answer that, who learn more from past, will England play with two spinners, since tremlett was almost wicket less in the first match, so why not like Pakistan go with two spinners, and also include a more reliable batsman of spin in batting order, yes the media the experts are talking about Ravi bopara. Only times tell will Strauss boys handle all criticism gracefully, like the test match the media is testing English player temperament off the field.

Also Pakistan has to think about large scores when finding such opportunity and don’t let them flee. As all big names got start but couldn’t maintain it. And will they plan for attacking cricket in the second test or they design their strategy after observing England on ground, they better not to get defensive with their 1-0 lead. The only way to defend it is make it 2-0 by next match. For the fans of both sides and cricket we hope to have a contest of excitement.  

Saeed Ajmal to come up with new delivery…..

 In the recent conference the bowler claimed to introduce new delivery in the series against England in UAE. Well the stage is been set and just before the start of series both teams and team players try to gain a psychological advantage of each other. It is yet to know whether its a same attempt from Saeed Ajmal or he really trying some new techniques.

As Saeed Ajmal recently uses his dusra most often it was a concern from former player that soon it will be esay to understand his wicket taking delivery. And now he announces to introduce a new kind of delivery. Is it a gamble, just to make England think about it all time and the delivery is actually have no status.

Many discussed this series as the opportunity, as to uncover this new deliver, while keeping the finger crossed and all the cricket lovers couldn’t wait to discover will this be another magic deliver like dusra, which was introduce by Saqlain Mushtaq, another Pakistani bowler. The bowl has its magic even now and difficult for batsmen to pick it up, while the off spinner revived with this bowl, Saqlain, Murli and Saeed uses  it to demolish the opponent.

But will the new ball has the same magic as dusra? Will it moves otherwise than the regular off spin, or it goes the same direction but with little variety, or it holds is direction like the carom bowl just difficult to read. What its going to be? We could only imagine to some extents, but only time knows it well. And we hope whatever it will be it keeps the cricket lovers interested and shows some magic.  

England vs Pakistan; Head to Head

Its time to get over from the success and records of Pakistan during the last year (2011). Now the focus is the upcoming series of Pakistan and England, in UAE. Considering the success rate of England in recent years and the win of Ashes last year, have boost the moral of England cricket team. Also not to forget the fact that England has been playing with tremendous talent and experience, not only in their batting department but also the bowling department cruise them to many wins. Trott, Bell, Alastair cook, Strauss, Peterson, Morgan, Ravi Bopara the solid batting line, and the question is that whether Pakistan bowling attack has this ability to get them knocked.

Recently Pakistan team has proved on given situation the bowling could turn the match into their favour, with Saeed Ajmal, Wahab Riaz, Umer Gul and Abdur Rehman in the squad. But at the occasions the batting did flop and a form of worry, the highest scorer Taufeeq Umer scored three century last year but more than six occasions he couldn’t score a double digit in his innings.

The bowling attack of SriLanka, and Bangladesh created a lot of problem to Pakistan batting line up, with no big names in the squad of two. Therefore we can imagine how hard it would be to face pace attack of England, with Finn, Anderson, Bresnan and the swing master Swan.

Considering the last year England only played one series on the death soil in India (likewise of UAE), and seems that India won the series single handedly, Also Pakistan had not played to first four ranked Test teams last year. But manage to record win against SriLanka, which were ranked above Pakistan. Never the less England could be dangerous under any condition and circumstances, with that I hope Pakistan will continue to exhibit its unpredictable nature, and do surprise us with some extraordinary performance. 

England squad

Andrew Strauss (c), James Anderson, Ian Bell, Tim Bresnan, Alastair Cook, Steven Finn, Monty Panesar, Matt Prior (wk), Chris Tremlett, Ravi Bopara, Stuart Broad, Steve Davies (wk), Eoin Morgan, Kevin Pietersen, Graeme Swann, Jonathan Trott

Pakistan Squad

Misbah-ul-Haq (c), Abdur Rehman, Adnan Akmal (wk), Aizaz Cheema, Imran Farhat, Junaid Khan, Mohammad Hafeez, Mohammad Talha, Saeed Ajmal, Taufeeq Umar, Umar Akmal, Umar Gul, Wahab Riaz, Younis Khan