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Ben Stokes returns for England as they look to secure the series win against Pakistan as the second test gets underway on Tuesday morning.
A performance that saw records broken everywhere, it is back to the same pitch, the same tough conditions, but this time, with captain Stokes back.
Where to start in what was a record-breaking five days of true test cricket out in Pakistan.
Tough conditions made it hard for the bowlers, with an unforgiving flat surface. While the 35-degree heat took its toll on both sets of players as cramp set in with those out at the crease.
The home side set a high-scoring total that looked hard for the visitors to beat. Eventually, being all out for 556, Shan Masood’s side was hopeful this would be their comeback win after 11 losses at home.
However, England, with an unprecedented score of 823/7(d) in response, looked confident of securing the win. A triple century for Harry Brook, a double century for Joe Root, and the highest-ever partnership in English cricket of 454 saw England go on to win by an innings and 47 runs.
The hosts began the chase but were ultimately bowled out for 220 as the second innings’ concerning poor form continued.
To check out my tips and how I fared for the first test, take a look at my England vs Pakistan Test Series Cricket Predictions & Betting Tips here!
Heading into the second test, England are looking to secure the series with a back-to-back win on the cards.
The victory saw England make it three wins from three in the Brendon McCullum era when they have conceded over 500 runs in an innings.
The second test sees Ben Stokes return from injury to captain the side, an exciting addition to the team that was part of the 3-0 whitewash back in 2022. Matthew Potts also comes in, with Gus Atkinson and Chris Woakes making way.
Here are just some of the records that were broken during the first five days:
Team for second Test: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (captain), Jamie Smith (wk), Brydon Carse, Matthew Potts, Jack Leach, Shoaib Bashir.
The woes for the home side continue after, despite a high-scoring first innings, the collapse of the batting order the second time out ended their hopes of a first win at home in 11 matches.
With captain Masood and Abdullah Shafique scoring centuries, Pakistan looked promising. But Babar Azam’s struggling run of form and that of many of his teammates made it too easy for England.
Pakistan have boldly dropped star batsman Azam and key fast bowlers Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah for the rest of the series.
Team for second Test: Saim Ayub, Abdullah Shafique, Shan Masood (captain), Kamran Ghulam, Saud Shakeel, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Salman Ali Agha, Aamir Jamal, Noman Ali, Sajid Khan, Zahin Mehmood.
As England look to secure back-to-back wins in the second test, and secure the series win with one match left to go, I am backing Harry Brook once again to dominate with the bat, with Joe Root and Ben Duckett contributing hugely too.
These odds are provided by William Hill and are correct at the time of publishing (14/10/2024).