England eye series win
SOUTHAMPTON, August 12
A rare winning start to a Test series isn’t stopping the questions from mounting up for England cricket captain Joe Root. Can Jos Buttler still be trusted as the wicketkeeper? How much has fast bowler Jimmy Anderson left in the tank?
And, perhaps most significantly of all, how does England go about replacing Ben Stokes? The second Test against Pakistan starts tomorrow with England having won the opening match of a series for the first time in six series.
Another victory will clinch a first Test series win against Pakistan in 10 years — and a second series of this pandemic-affected summer, having already beaten the West Indies — but Root’s team has issues to address.
For starters, Stokes, the world’s No. 1 allrounder, will be missing because he has returned to New Zealand for family reasons. It deprives England of a player who often digs the team out of trouble — with ball or bat — and will lead to a more specialist batsman, likely Zak Crawley, being added to the lineup.
Buttler should keep his place despite missing three chances behind the stumps in the first innings — two against opener Shan Masood who went on to make 156. The wicketkeeper also made amends for a falling batting average by scoring a crucial 75 as England successfully chased down a target of 277.
His batting is set to ensure he staves off being replaced by fellow gloveman Ben Foakes despite his rival typically being more accomplished behind the stumps.
A big debate now centers on the makeup of England’s attack, given the quick turnaround of games — the three Tests this series take place in successive weeks — and Anderson’s acknowledgement that his radar was off at his Old Trafford home ground where he took one wicket across two innings.
England’s all-time leading Test wicket-taker was rested for the second Test against the West Indies and selectors could follow a similar path a month later, especially considering Anderson’s recent history of injuries. — AP
Broad says dad off Christmas card list
England quick Stuart Broad (in pic) says his father, match referee Chris Broad, is off his Christmas card list after he fined him for giving Pakistan’s Yasir Shah a send-off in the first test. The bowler was fined 15% of his match fee and given a demerit point for his behaviour. After England’s ‘Barmy Army’ supporters group tweeted the news of his sanction on Tuesday, Broad said of his father: “He’s off the Christmas card & present list.” Chris Broad would not normally officiate in a match involving his son but he is overseeing all six of England’s home Tests this summer because of travel restrictions imposed to combat the spread of the novel coronavirus.
Hafeez to self-isolate after bio-security breach
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said today that all-rounder Mohammad Hafeez will self-isolate until he tests negative for Covid-19 after breaching a bio-security protocol by posing for a photograph with a member of the public in England. The photo posted on Twitter by the 39-year-old was taken on a golf course next to the hotel where Pakistan are staying. Hafeez is not part of Pakistan’s Test squad but is on the tour for the three-match T20I series starting August 28. Reuters
