The biggest decision in the lead-up to the Test match series was who was going to captain England. A lot of the discussion would have centered around Harry Brook and whether he was ready to take on the responsibility of leading the side. There would have been questions over whether he was ready for the additional responsibility, what impact the captaincy could have had on his game and whether the role could become a burden at this stage of his career. I feel he is likely to get the job at some stage.
Brook, to me, is a batter tactical captain than Joe Root, who has already done the job before and therefore brings experience. Root must be looking forward to working with the team. I think this was the best decision that could have been made at this stage, although it may not be long before Harry takes on responsibility.
There are also going to be changes to England’s batting line-up. At number three, Jordan Cox is expected to come into the side. He had originally been due to play in New Zealand a couple of years ago but missed out, with Bethel coming into the side instead. Cox is an extremely aggressive player, although his challenge will be to show discipline. Cox has shown he can bat in the top order as has opened 18-20 times and now gets a chance to bat 3 for England.
His inclusion also creates an interesting situation. If Cox performs well, he could potentially find himself moving somewhere around number six when Bethel returns to number 3. That would make for an interesting battle with Dan Lawrence, who is expected to bat at number six.
Lawrence is another talented player who has scored a lot of runs in county cricket. He has been batting at five and six for Surrey, although I would want to see him score his runs at three or four. Even so, his record of scoring runs shows the ability he possesses. He is a talented player and there is no surprise in the possibility that he could do well in this role. It could represent something of a second coming for him, particularly because he is now considered a much more mature player. I am confident that he can perform well at six.
England’s approach will also be interesting to watch. The basic pillars and foundations of Test cricket do not structurally change that much, even though the game continues to evolve. Discipline and mentality over five days remain central to Test cricket. England have pushed that approach to extreme levels in recent years.
The expectation is that they could come back down a little and find a better operating level that they can maintain consistently. That is what they need to find. They have the players to do it, with Joe Root and Brook arguably forming the best number four and five combination in world cricket. That is a difficult combination for any opposition to break through.
At number seven, Jamie Smith is expected to feature. The bowling attack could consist of Gus Atkinson, Josh Tongue, Ollie Robinson and Jofra Archer, with Dan Lawrence providing some spin. So, four seamers and a spinner is the way to go.
There is also the question of Emilio Gay. He has impressed in the first few games and has made a decent start. However, he will have to continue performing. He missed out against Pakistan in the warm-up game, got a pair. Not to forget that there is Ben McKinney, the Durham lad, who has played for England A, knocking on the door. He is a tall player and could put pressure on the current options. That means someone like Emilio will have to keep scoring and continue developing his game as he will be in direct competition with Ben in future.
For Pakistan, meanwhile, Babar’s loss is a huge one. A huge and untimely loss, especially given that he was in good form with the bat and had led his side to victory in their last Test match. I feel his greatest strength lies with the bat rather than his captaincy. Salman Ali Agha will now lead the side. He has plenty of leadership experience in white-ball cricket, but a real challenge awaits him in the Test arena.
Shan Masood’s position in the batting line-up could change following Babar’s absence. I felt Masood would open with Babar in the side, but with Babar now out, Pakistan could rejig their batting order and move Masood into the middle order. Shafiq is expected to be in the side. While he has an excellent record when Barber is captain and a less impressive one when Babar is not captain, there is still a strong feeling that he should be selected.
Shafiq is a terrific player and a technically good batter. He has also scored runs recently in the Test series in the West Indies. I am expecting Saud Shakeel would also be part of the middle order. He got a hundred in the warmup-up game and missed out in the West Indies but he looks ready to go again. Rizwan and Salman Agha are also part of what could be a very strong top six or seven.
Another advantage for Pakistan is that some of their players have experience of playing at Headingley. Masood and Shakeel have played at this ground while representing Yorkshire. Their previous experience of the conditions at Headingley could provide a bonus when they arrive for the Test.
The expected pace bowling line-up for Pakistan could include Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Ali and Khurram Shahzad with Ali Usman as the spinner.
The key for Pakistan could be to assess the conditions correctly, much as they did in the second Test in the West Indies. On that occasion, they assessed the conditions better than the West Indies, and that allowed them to make the right decisions around the balance of their team.
They could potentially consider playing two spinners at Headingley. That is one option available to them. Another possibility would be to use Aamer Jamal as an all-rounder and leave out one of the seamers. However, that is not the preferred option as far as I am concerned.
There are therefore a number of possibilities when it comes to the balance of the side. The important thing is that Pakistan select their specialist batters and specialist bowlers.
England have a strong batting lineup which allows them to bat deep. Gus Atkinson, if he plays, will be number eight.
The conditions at Headingley are another important consideration. The pitch is flat most of the time, which makes the selection of specialist bowlers particularly important. With a surface that can remain flat, the team will need its specialist bowlers to do the job.
