High-quality seamers and differences in approach... ENGLAND V PAKISTAN KEY BATTLES

Ahead of England's three-Test series with Pakistan, The Cricketer looks at some of the intriguing match-ups on show

Battle of the seamers

James Anderson, Stuart Broad, Mark Wood, Jofra Archer, Chris Woakes, Sam Curran, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sohail Khan, Mohammad Abbas, Faheem Ashraf, Imran Khan, Wahab Riaz, Haris Rauf.

Quite a selection of seamers that, one senses, will go some way to determining the direction in which this series ultimately travels.

If there was anything for Misbah-ul-Haq to learn from England’s series win against West Indies, it came in the value of rotation. By the time Jermaine Blackwood was caught down the legside to bring proceedings to its end at Emirates Old Trafford, Shannon Gabriel and Kemar Roach were out on their feet as spent forces, having given everything and more to the cause.

A lack of experience among those in reserve was offered up as a major reason for Jason Holder and Phil Simmons’ decision to opt for continuity over fresh legs.

England, meanwhile, displayed a more appropriate blueprint for Misbah to follow: it was no coincidence that they grew as the series went on.

Pakistan’s cartel has more than 2,000 wickets between them at first-class level. In the triumvirate of Abbas, Shah and Afridi, Pakistan boast as exciting a seam attack as has been seen on these shores for some time – left-arm, right-arm, pace and a devilish control of seam movement. It is a trio with the potential to wreak havoc. Abbas averages just 20.76 in Test cricket; in England, that drops further to 14.20.

Beyond them, there is the well-oiled skill of Wahab Riaz and Sohail Khan; the latter has taken two five-wicket hauls in the pair of intra-squad games played at Derbyshire’s Incora County Ground, while England know all about the former.

And so, it won’t just be about how the seamers bowl, but how they are managed and best utilised. It is where England will have an advantage. Speaking on Monday, Woakes admitted that he and his colleagues had felt “probably a little bit under-prepared from a match point of view” ahead of the first Test of the West Indies series.

“You can do as much as you can in prep, in nets and in practice but nothing really gives you that time in the middle and that match sharpness,” he added. “Hopefully, having had that series will stand us in good stead but the Pakistan team are a dangerous team.”

Mind-games, perhaps, but still a key balance that the tourists must get right.

^{Mohammad Abbas has a fine Test record}

Joe Root and Babar Azam: a high-class pairing

Babar Azam has only ever batted once in a Test match in England, reaching 68 at Lord’s back in 2018 before being forced to retire hurt.

He returns now as one of the planet’s premier players – a hugely watchable batsman and one of the global game’s most recognisable stars.

The shift in his numbers alone would suggest a cricketer on the march: midway through 2018, he averaged just 24.90. Two years on, he has almost doubled that figure; by the time he had struck a career-high 143 in his most recent Test against Bangladesh, his runs were coming at 45.12 per innings.

Remarkably, his five Test hundreds account for more than half of his eight first-class centuries. In List A cricket, he has churned out 21. But anyone who has watched the 25-year-old in action can see a burgeoning, languid quality about his work only present in the very best. Even as his side was battered into submission during a winter tour of Australia, he oozed a rare class, evoking purrs from both commentary box and home fans alike.

Things to watch: Undercooked tourists, brilliant Babar, Root chases history

There was talk then that he might have usurped Joe Root among the unofficial ‘big four’. Root, by his own admission, has been below his best in recent times. Nasser Hussain posed the question during the second West Indies Test of whether Ben Stokes had overtaken him as England’s best batsman – at least in terms of technique.

Root, though, remains a world-class operator; his innings in conjunction with Rory Burns in the final Test showed a player returning to something like his busy, positive self– albeit, with the game situation somewhat different to what he might normally encounter.

For all the talk of Stokes, it will still surely be Root’s wicket that is targeted most. In nine games against Pakistan, Root has accrued his runs at an average of 61.06. In nine Tests, he has passed fifty on seven occasions, including his Test-high 254 – a knock that came in Manchester, where he and Pakistan will renew acquaintances this week.

^{Babar Azam is a classy operator}

A clash of styles

For all the talk around Pakistan’s seam options, head coach and chief selector Misbah-ul-Haq has not ruled out picking two spinners at Emirates Old Trafford.

It would be an intriguing move – Yasir Shah, Shadab Khan and Kashif Bhatti are all available, though an initial 20-man squad will be whittled down to 16 later today. While there was obvious assistance for the slower bowlers during the two games at the ground between England and West Indies, it was still the quicker men who did the bulk of the damage. So much so, in fact, that Dom Bess wasn’t required to bowl a ball in the final Test.

When West Indies opted to pair together Rahkeem Cornwall with Roston Chase in the same game, the duo recorded combined match figures of 4 for 261.

That has not put off Pakistan, however, “We will keep an eye on the pitch and the weather conditions, today and tomorrow, before taking a decision on whether to play two spinners or not,” said Misbah. “It is a possibility and an encouraging sign for us.

“The pitch and weather conditions might be favouring us at the moment but you still have to execute your plans properly to win,” he added.

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