Final Ashes warm-up starts today
The last opportunity for England players to stake their claim on a spot in the Ashes squad gets under way today, with the 4th Test between Pakistan and England at The Oval. It’s a “dead rubber” match - England have already won the series - so all that’s up for grabs is inflicting a humiliating 3-0 whitewash on Pakistan, or Pakistan claiming a lot less embarassing 2-1. I’d love to see England win this one, as ultimately the more confidence we have leading in to the Ashes the better. Though a 2-0 or 2-1 series result would probably be a pretty fair representation - England have been the better side and deserve to win, but Pakistan have had their moments.
Mohammad Yousuf for one has looked very impressive, as well as the likes of Younis Khan and ever-present Inzy. Danish Kaneria and Umar Gul have been the pick of the bowlers. The main concerns for the Pakistan management will be the lack of a good opening batting partnership (they’ve used four so far) and one or two real strike bowlers. Though the rumours that Shoaib is playing again are true - he was playing for some village 3rd XI, so no doubt he’ll be firing on all cylinders pretty soon.
As for England, the side will be unchanged - Hoggard is fully fit from a knee “niggle”, which means no place for Jon Lewis as Sajid Mahmood gets another opportunity to impress. Chris Read will remain behind the stumps, and hopefully will perform again.
The main question is: can England keep hold of the momentum they’ve built up and really act on the big talk and promises they’ve made of not loosening their grip, even though the series is won? It has been said many times they want this 4th Test match, but in the past, there’s been a tendency to get complacent and lose concentration.
I’m intrigued to see if this is not a facet of the new England team.
Tags: England, pakistan, Test Cricket, winRelated Stories
POSTED IN: Cricket
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