England have been highly impressive in the series against Pakistan, but with still one Test match to go, the contest has been hugely one-sided and, from a cricketing perspective, really disappointing. From England’s perspective, there is obviously a huge amount of credit to be given to the way they have played. They have been outstanding, particularly with the new ball, and the bowling conditions have certainly been favourable. Their four-man pace attack has proved decisive. 

The pace attack has been led really well by Ollie Robinson, whose metronomic accuracy has been a major factor. He has consistently challenged the top of off-stump line and has been relentless in the way he has gone about his work. With the conditions as they are, the Dukes ball has also played its part. Joe Root suggested there may be something different about the lacquer, or perhaps the seam itself is a little more pronounced and harder. Whether there is actually anything in that is difficult to say, but that is Root’s view. Either way, the batting conditions have not been straightforward for either side, and that has caused Pakistan a huge amount of difficulty. 

England have been able to make the most of those conditions because of the quality and variety within their pace attack. Ollie Robinson provides the accuracy and consistency, while Jofra Archer brings genuine pace and the ability to change things up. Josh Tongue has also been an interesting component of the attack. The angle from which he bowls and the pace he generates are reminiscent, in some ways, of Pat Cummins. 

Tong releases the ball slightly further across the crease, from a position that is a little wider, and angles it into the right-hander. If the ball then holds slightly or reacts off the surface, it brings the outside edge into play. That brings the wicketkeeper and the slips into the game. It is becoming a little reminiscent of Pat Cummins, and that helps explain why Tongue has been picking up so many wickets. 

The length he bowls is particularly awkward to play. It makes right-handers feel that they have to play at deliveries that they perhaps do not actually need to play. That uncertainty is one of the reasons he has enjoyed so much success. Atkinson, perhaps, has not been quite at his best, but even then he 

remains a valuable asset to that top four. He has pace and accuracy as well, and when all of those elements come together, England’s attack is simply proving too much at the moment for a Pakistan batting line-up that is playing with very little confidence. 

There are also questions around England’s batting, although they are very different in nature. There is obviously no major concern over Joe Root. He would like to score a few more runs, but there is a reason he has scored 14,000 Test runs. He will work things out. On paper, it looks as though he might be having one or two problems with LBW, but as Root himself would say, quite a few of those dismissals have involved umpires’ calls, so they could be pretty marginal. He will problem-solve and work through that. 

The extra-batter situation involving Jordan Cox and Dan Lawrence is intriguing. Bethell will come back, although not for the next Test match but for the winter. I feel remains that Jordan Cox is the better option. If the extra batter is going to bat at number six, though, that raises the question of whether England might want more of an all-rounder in that position during the winter, with someone such as Sam Curran potentially coming into consideration. 

That makes it a fascinating selection issue. Lawrence is a very fine player, and what he brings is the ability to change gears with the tail and score runs quickly at the end of an innings. He is a very talented player in both white-ball and red-ball cricket. But if the choice ultimately became one

between Lawrence and Cox, the preference would be to stick with the latter, unless England decide that they need more of an all-rounder who can add value with the ball. In that case, someone like Sam Curran could come into the side. 

Ultimately, that is a nice problem for England to have. They will be delighted that both Jordan Cox and Dan Lawrence have made significant contributions in the first two Test matches. With one Test match still to come, the focus will perhaps be on which of those players can take the greater opportunity in the third Test, particularly with Bethell unavailable. That is a real positive for England: they have a batting line-up with players putting their hands up and making contributions. 

From Pakistan’s perspective, however, it has been very difficult to watch. Having played against Pakistan over the years, including some great Pakistan sides and some of the great cricketers of all time, it has been quite sad to watch the current situation. Babar Azam has come back into the side but is struggling, and the batting line-up as a whole is struggling, albeit in difficult conditions. 

There has at least been something positive for Pakistan in the performances of Mohammed Abbas. He has clearly been one of the leading lights, taking nine wickets in the match and earning a five-wicket haul at Lord’s, which means his name goes onto the Honours Board. That will be a huge thrill for him, and he deserves the recognition. 

Pakistan also appear to need an extra seamer. At present, they have three going at it with Khurram Shahzad and Muhammad Ali, but there is enough pressure being built before it is released a little. An additional seamer could help them keep firing on all cylinders. However, with some players having been sent home, Pakistan will now have to rejig the line-up and work out how best to balance the side. 

The fielding has also been really poor, with catches being dropped at crucial times. There has been a lack of discipline and a lack of cohesion, and that has been disappointing to watch. Saud Shakeel, meanwhile, is another player Pakistan can take something from. I hoped that he would be able to keep ticking over, get another boundary and reach a hundred, but that was not to be. Even so, he can take something from his performances. He got runs in the warm-up game and then scored in the second Test, so there is something for Pakistan’s players to hold on to. 

When looking at this Pakistan side, one obvious area of discussion is the structure, the organisation and how the team is being run. But there is another way of looking at it: the players themselves. When playing international cricket, there has to be a focus on individual pride of performance and on the amount of pressure and expectation players put on themselves to deliver. 

Of course, nobody can deliver in every game. That is impossible. But if you are a player within that dressing room, the focus has to be on what you can do better yourself, regardless of the situation you find yourself in. Pakistan have one more Test match in Birmingham, and there is still an opportunity to try to turn some of this around. 

The management, however, is reacting in a pretty dramatic way. There are likely to be a good number of changes, but perhaps the most dramatic and extreme is the removal of the coach, Sarfaraz Ahmed, with Mike Hesson coming in for the next Test match. 

That is not something that can be agreed with. Clearly, in a series that has not gone well, when you are 2-0 down and the players have not performed, there will inevitably be changes. There is inevitably an opportunity to look

at new faces. But changing the management and the coach during the series is a different matter. 

If those changes need to be made, they should be made at the end of the series, at its conclusion, after everyone has had an opportunity to reflect and look back at where things have gone well and where they have gone badly. The decision to make such a dramatic change during the series is therefore surprising. The fact that it has been done in such an extreme way perhaps gives an insight into just how badly Pakistan feel things have gone. 

But now, with all the focus on the changes and everything surrounding them, it is time for the players to really dig deep. They need to look after their own performances and have pride in playing for the national team. 

There was encouragement from Pakistan’s last Test match in the West Indies. They won in those conditions and played well, with some of the players scoring runs. That created hope that Pakistan would put in some sort of performance in this series. Instead, they now have one remaining game in which they have the opportunity to look at themselves individually, player by player, and come up with something a whole lot better. 

They are more than capable of doing that. They have talent and ability. If they can look internally and find some answers, there is a chance that the third match of the series could be a much more competitive game. However, some of the new faces who have enjoyed success in the shorter formats will be seriously tested, particularly against England’s formidable bowling attack. Some of these changes also appear strange, even when viewed in the context of how the series has unfolded. 

Ultimately, though, the series has been a real disappointment from the perspective of the contest itself. From England’s perspective, it has been hugely positive and they deserve enormous credit for the way they have played. But as far as a contest is concerned, it simply has not been enough of a contest so far.