Posted by England are in Rawalpindi for the third and final Test of this series against Pakistan with the scoreline currently 1-1. Last time they were here, they made 500 on the first day. Will we see a repeat of that?
To quickly recap, England’s last Test in Rawalpindi began with Zak Crawley hitting three fours off Naseem Shah’s opening over and ended in victory, late on day five, with the light meters out. At no point in between did they show any real sign of slowing down.
The centrepiece was that first day performance. England reached 500 quicker than any team ever has before. Three of their four centurions scored at somewhere around a run a ball. The fourth, Harry Brook, scored significantly quicker. At one point he hit six fours in an over, which we argued is actually better than hitting six sixes.
So is that what we’re going to see again? We asked Richard O’Brien from the Crystal Maze for his take.
Richard O’Brien says…
Start the fans!
Pakistan were badly burnt in 2022 and burnt again on another flat pitch in the first Test of this series when Joe Root and Harry Brook put on 454 runs together. They’re understandably far from keen to take the tourists on in another ludicrous batting feats competition.
This pitch will not be like that last Rawalpindi pitch. It has been heated and dried and allegedly raked. Rawalpindi? Rawalspindi, more like! Even England have picked three of the blighters, adding veteran leggie Rehan Ahmed to the team.
It’s fundamentally a solid surface though. There should be runs at first, but then as the match progresses and the pitch breaks up, we could be in for a really rocky horror show from the batters.
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Rawalspindi it is, KC. Well done.
But standards are surely falling when you to resort to pitch reports from Riff Raff. Talking of resorts, Swanage comes to mind.
I’m trying to work out how I would try to bat on that surface. Richard O’Brien would no doubt suggest that it is all down to the foot movements…
…just a jump to the left, then a step to right…
Three spinners currently feels a lot, in that three bowlers might actually leave a team overstocked.
Time will tell.
Indeed, I am shivering with antici…pation.
Only one phrase can describe this day’s cricket: it’s astounding.