Well, 2012 has arrived and even though we have had the customary new year tests, there is nothing quite like the first series of the new year. And what a cracker of a series it promises to be........England, the new world No.1 touring the middle east (U.A.E. , Sharjah, Abu Dhabi etc) to take on Pakistan . And that these two are arguably the two most inform sides in the world gives this series an extra edge. High stakes are at risk for both these teams. Neither would want to lose. I dare say there is more at stake for England here as they are the current and new world No. 1s and their record in the subcontinent, notwithstanding their series' wins in Pakistan and Sri lanka in 2000 under Nasser Hussain isn't the best . People rightly say that getting to No. 1 is the easy part, its staying as No. 1 thats hard. And this entire calender year of 2012 is a very challenging one for England. They have series' against Pakistan (away), Sri Lanka (away), West Indies (home), South Africa (home) and then India (away). If England end 2012 still on top of the perch then England will truly earn the respect of the entire cricketing world. England are indeed the No.1 ranked Test side in the world currently but many , including England fans do have their doubts over how England might do in the subcontinent. Its very, very important from England's point of view that they don't lose both these subcontinent test series' as they might lose more then their No. 1 ranking. If England have to stay as No. 1 and earn the respect of the entire cricketing world then its imperative that they do well in these 2 test series. So, in that respect this series against Pakistan is huge from their point of view. England are also coming to this series after their winter break with no match practice and that may well be a disadvantage for them.
Pakistan, have come to this series on their best run of form for quite some time. Since the World Cup, they have played and beaten Zimbabwe , Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, and have drawn against the West Indies. I admit that except Sri Lanka, the rest are not very tough competition but we have to respect this fact about sports that "Winning gives you confidence." And Pakistan have come to this series with a truck load of confidence. Chipping-chopping in the squad and controversies are a part of Pakistan cricket and that adds an extra edge to this series . The spot-fixing saga has left everybody with a sour taste in their mouths. And Pakistan would want to prove to the world that they have forgotten all about it and are ready to only play cricket .........in the right spirit. Misbah-ul-haq wasn't the most popular choice as captain, to put it mildly but he has earned the respect of not only his teammates but also of the entire cricketing world. The fact that he is mostly a quiet sort of a guy and helps quite a bit. He prefers to not make any big statements and rather lets his cricket do the talking. His batting too has progressed a fair bit.
Coming back to the series, this series promises to provide us with some intriguing battles. Here are some of them which i think will play a big part in deciding which way this series might go.......
1. CAPTAINCY: Both Andrew Strauss and Misbah-ul-haq are both of the quiet, calculative sort and in a series like this where both the teams are evenly matched captaincy often decides the result. Andrew Strauss has more experience of winning , he has also won most of the big series' that he has captained. So, when the crucial times do come then I expect Strauss to be slightly more positive then Misbah. Misbah too is a smart captain but i do feel that he has the tendency to slightly go on the defensive a bit too soon. I feel Strauss will win this battle.
2. BATTING: No need for me to say that Pakistan's strength is their bowling and often its the batting which has lead them down. England , on the other hand have a very strong batting line up. Also, the depth in the batting of England has won them many matches in the recent past. So, on first glance it looks like England should win this battle too . But, we have to bring the conditions and the pitches into consideration too. In the subcontinent , England's batsmen have a tendency to struggle against spin from both ends and Pakistan knows that. So, this battle should be an even one as i expect the U.A.E. pitches too be quite flat and in these pitches the Pakistani batsmen will score quite a bit of runs too.
3. SEAM BOWLING: This is an intriguing battle. England's experienced bowling line up of Anderson, Broad, Bresnan, Finn and Tremlett against the slightly unorthodox and varied line up of Gul, Cheema, Riaz and Junaid Khan. I am pretty certain that there will be no grass whatsoever in these pitches , so that negates the threat of Anderson and the new ball slightly. Pakistan , on the other hand are masters of reverse swing and are used to bowling on these sort of pitches with high levels of success. Plus, with their added variety i feel Pakistan will shade this department.
4.SPIN BOWLING: Swann vs Ajmal.....This battle may well decide the series . Swann is the orthodox, classical off spinner . Whereas Ajmal is the unorthodox type who relies on his doosra. There is no doubt though that these 2 guys are the best 2 offies in the world now. Pakistan may be a subcontinent side but for me, they are probably the worst of the subcontinent teams in playing spin (except Bangladesh). So, I feel that Swann will take wickets and will play a role for England. As for Pakistan, its not only Ajmal . They have Abdul Rehman and Mohammed Hafeez too. I wont be surprised if Hafeez takes the new ball too . Pakistan , for me takes this round as they have 3 spinners who are definite certainities in the team compared to England's 1.
5. FIELDING: England are a clear winner of this round. One of England's main reason for their success has been their fielding and catching. Andy Flower has done a lot to improve the fitness of the England players as a whole. Pakistan, on the other hand are amongst the worst fielding sides of the world. And even though they have a few good individual fielders most of their players are slightly unfit in comparison with England's players.
MY PREDICTION FOR THE SERIES: I feel that England's bowlers do have it in them to dismiss the Pakistan batsmen twice in a match. But will they be able to do that in all the 3 test is doubtful. Pakistan's bowlers on the other hand are well capable of taking 20 England wickets at least twice in this series. And as you all know, its the bowlers that win you Test matches. It remains to be seen how do England's batsmen cope against spin and that may well decide the series. If England play spin well then I expect them to not lose this series. All in all, I feel Pakistan will win this series 1-0 as the wickets are going to be quite flat and i expect 2 tests to be drawn.
Pakistan, have come to this series on their best run of form for quite some time. Since the World Cup, they have played and beaten Zimbabwe , Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, and have drawn against the West Indies. I admit that except Sri Lanka, the rest are not very tough competition but we have to respect this fact about sports that "Winning gives you confidence." And Pakistan have come to this series with a truck load of confidence. Chipping-chopping in the squad and controversies are a part of Pakistan cricket and that adds an extra edge to this series . The spot-fixing saga has left everybody with a sour taste in their mouths. And Pakistan would want to prove to the world that they have forgotten all about it and are ready to only play cricket .........in the right spirit. Misbah-ul-haq wasn't the most popular choice as captain, to put it mildly but he has earned the respect of not only his teammates but also of the entire cricketing world. The fact that he is mostly a quiet sort of a guy and helps quite a bit. He prefers to not make any big statements and rather lets his cricket do the talking. His batting too has progressed a fair bit.
Coming back to the series, this series promises to provide us with some intriguing battles. Here are some of them which i think will play a big part in deciding which way this series might go.......
1. CAPTAINCY: Both Andrew Strauss and Misbah-ul-haq are both of the quiet, calculative sort and in a series like this where both the teams are evenly matched captaincy often decides the result. Andrew Strauss has more experience of winning , he has also won most of the big series' that he has captained. So, when the crucial times do come then I expect Strauss to be slightly more positive then Misbah. Misbah too is a smart captain but i do feel that he has the tendency to slightly go on the defensive a bit too soon. I feel Strauss will win this battle.
2. BATTING: No need for me to say that Pakistan's strength is their bowling and often its the batting which has lead them down. England , on the other hand have a very strong batting line up. Also, the depth in the batting of England has won them many matches in the recent past. So, on first glance it looks like England should win this battle too . But, we have to bring the conditions and the pitches into consideration too. In the subcontinent , England's batsmen have a tendency to struggle against spin from both ends and Pakistan knows that. So, this battle should be an even one as i expect the U.A.E. pitches too be quite flat and in these pitches the Pakistani batsmen will score quite a bit of runs too.
3. SEAM BOWLING: This is an intriguing battle. England's experienced bowling line up of Anderson, Broad, Bresnan, Finn and Tremlett against the slightly unorthodox and varied line up of Gul, Cheema, Riaz and Junaid Khan. I am pretty certain that there will be no grass whatsoever in these pitches , so that negates the threat of Anderson and the new ball slightly. Pakistan , on the other hand are masters of reverse swing and are used to bowling on these sort of pitches with high levels of success. Plus, with their added variety i feel Pakistan will shade this department.
4.SPIN BOWLING: Swann vs Ajmal.....This battle may well decide the series . Swann is the orthodox, classical off spinner . Whereas Ajmal is the unorthodox type who relies on his doosra. There is no doubt though that these 2 guys are the best 2 offies in the world now. Pakistan may be a subcontinent side but for me, they are probably the worst of the subcontinent teams in playing spin (except Bangladesh). So, I feel that Swann will take wickets and will play a role for England. As for Pakistan, its not only Ajmal . They have Abdul Rehman and Mohammed Hafeez too. I wont be surprised if Hafeez takes the new ball too . Pakistan , for me takes this round as they have 3 spinners who are definite certainities in the team compared to England's 1.
5. FIELDING: England are a clear winner of this round. One of England's main reason for their success has been their fielding and catching. Andy Flower has done a lot to improve the fitness of the England players as a whole. Pakistan, on the other hand are amongst the worst fielding sides of the world. And even though they have a few good individual fielders most of their players are slightly unfit in comparison with England's players.
MY PREDICTION FOR THE SERIES: I feel that England's bowlers do have it in them to dismiss the Pakistan batsmen twice in a match. But will they be able to do that in all the 3 test is doubtful. Pakistan's bowlers on the other hand are well capable of taking 20 England wickets at least twice in this series. And as you all know, its the bowlers that win you Test matches. It remains to be seen how do England's batsmen cope against spin and that may well decide the series. If England play spin well then I expect them to not lose this series. All in all, I feel Pakistan will win this series 1-0 as the wickets are going to be quite flat and i expect 2 tests to be drawn.
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