Pakistan return to England for a Test series having won just two of their last 13 series, with a batting order that shows pedigree but a bowling attack lacking the wizardry of past tours.
A decade since the Oval triumph
Last Friday marked 10 years since Pakistan's 10-wicket win against England at the Oval. Younis Khan, their greatest run-scorer, hit a double hundred, Yasir Shah took a five-fer, and Misbah-ul-Haq, their 42-year-old captain, led his team on a victory lap. Days later, Pakistan moved to No 1 in the Test rankings for the first time, despite being unable to play at home since 2009.
There is a link to that period on this tour: Sarfaraz Ahmed, the wicketkeeper then, is now the Test head coach. But these are darker times for the national team, marked by volatility and a never-ending search for answers. The number of head coaches and team directors across formats since 2021 is into double figures, and selectors have changed frequently. Babar Azam is back for his second stint as Test captain, having replaced Shan Masood before last month's tour of the Caribbean.
Recent struggles and injury concerns
Pakistan have won just two of their last 13 Test series and are second last in the current World Test Championship after finishing bottom in the previous cycle. Victory in the second Test in the Caribbean, on a turning pitch exploited by off-spinner Sajid Khan, ended a run of eight consecutive away defeats. Babar was player of the series with 193 runs, while Masood scored a century in his first Test knock since losing the captaincy.
However, luck has not gone Pakistan's way. Masood broke a finger while making his century, and Babar took a blow to the right hand in a warm-up fixture at Beckenham, forcing him to retire hurt. After taking throwdowns in the nets on Monday, Babar's absence from the first Test was confirmed on Tuesday, with Salman Ali Agha to lead instead.
Batting pedigree and bowling concerns
Masood has been declared fit and knows English conditions well, having captained Yorkshire and played county cricket with Leicestershire and Derbyshire. Abdullah Shafique, also a centurion in the Caribbean, and Saud Shakeel, who averages above 40 in Tests, add pedigree, though both are untested in England at this level.
The worry is the bowling attack, which lacks pace and a world-beating spinner. The hope is that Mohammad Abbas, 36, can use his County Championship experience to move the ball with venom, even if he doesn't reach 80mph. Abbas was instrumental in Pakistan's last Test victory in England, taking eight wickets at Lord's in 2018.
Pakistan are often described as mercurial, capable of beating anyone when the moment strikes. But this series looks a perfect arrangement for Root and an England team short on wins, on a new path after the fall of the previous regime. England should take the series; Pakistan may manage one win, but a retreat to the past – perhaps highlights from the Oval a decade ago – is a safer shot at happiness for their supporters this summer.
