Lacklustre Hasan Ali and Mohammad Abbas hurt Pakistan as England gain upper hand in Headingley Test

Waseem Ahmed 23:12 02/06/2018
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  • Pakistan seemed to have everything going for them at the start of the second Test against England in Headingley.

    Sarfraz Ahmed’s boys won the first Test at Lord’s convincingly by nine wickets, raising hopes of a stunning series win after struggling for large parts of the one-off Test against Ireland which they eventually won by five wickets.

    Pakistan caught everything that came their way at Lord’s while their entire top-order chipped in with useful runs to outplay the hosts in every department.

    In Headingley, Pakistan batted first in what looked like ideal scoring conditions but England finally found their rhythm to peg the visitors back and gain the upper hand by the end of Day Two, stretching their lead to 128 having scored 302 for seven.

    Here are three reasons why Pakistan have fallen behind in the second Test after looking like dominating England.

    VARYING FIRST INNINGS CONDITIONS

    CRICKET-ENG-PAK-TEST

    When Pakistan batted first, conditions looked perfect for batting as the wicket was devoid of any grass. But as Stuart Broad and James Anderson charged in for their opening spells, the ball not only pinged off the surface but also moved in the air and after pitching. In such conditions, it was only a matter of time before edges were found and Pakistan’s inexperienced batting got exposed.

    However, when it was their turn to bowl, Pakistan’s seamers did not get anywhere near as much movement. The wicket still had life in it but apart from Mohammad Amir, who bowled snorters every spell, most Pakistan pacers got much less movement from the pitch compared to their English counterparts.

    LACK OF SWING SUPPORT

    Seam bowler Mohammad Abbas (1-60) was a revelation in the first Test as he picked up four wickets in each innings to script a famous win. His seam bowling partner Hasan Ali (1-68) was supposed to play the role of the aggressor. But both looked below par in conditions which offered help to quick bowlers.

    In fact, all-rounder Faheem Ashraf (2-43) looked the best of the lot, apart from Amir, as he not only pegged away at a line outside off stump but also kept the runs down while picking up two crucial wickets. Hasan did not get as much movement from the pitch as expected and was also not economical enough to keep Pakistan in the game.

    With the second new ball, Abbas bowled within himself and even his edges barely carried to slip. Not the effort you need when the team is gunning for a series win.

    Not only that, Hasan dropped the dangerous Jos Buttler at mid wicket when the batsman was on four. A horror day in the field.

    LACKLUSTRE SHADAB

    Leg-spinner Shadab Khan has been a great find for Pakistan cricket. Not only has his bowling given Pakistan an edge in limited overs cricket, his batting at the Test level has surprised one and all.  It was his 56 in the first innings that helped Pakistan score 174, which should have given him confidence with the ball.

    However, Shadab was handled competently by the English batsmen. In fact, England were comfortable playing Shadab of the back foot, which meant they had enough time to read him from the hand the off the pitch.

    The young leggie has the talent and will soon learn the art of tying the batsmen down when the conditions are not ideal for spin. At Headingley, sadly, that was not the case.

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