England are closing in on a 3-0 series sweep of Pakistan, but Nasser Hussain sees two problems still worth fixing.
The former England captain praised the team’s improved tempo after they piled on 453 runs in the third Test at Edgbaston. Pakistan closed on 52-2, still 268 runs behind, when rain cut play short on day two. Hussain’s only concerns are Joe Root’s lbw troubles and a century drought that has reached historic levels.
“I’ve liked the tempo of the batting in this series,” Hussain said. “We talked about it earlier in the Bazball era, England going too hard and not seizing opportunities. They’ve got the tempo right, especially through the middle order with Harry Brook, Jamie Smith, Dan Lawrence and Gus Atkinson.”
Root’s four lbw dismissals
Root’s four dismissals have all been lbw. The world’s second-highest Test run-scorer cannot shake the mode of dismissal.
“Obviously, there are two boxes they haven’t ticked,” Hussain explained. “Their greatest player is struggling with one specific type of dismissal: lbw. It’s so obvious he’s struggling. He tried to address it in the first innings, made a technical adjustment and then got out lbw again.”
Praise for Emilio Gay’s tempo
Hussain still likes what he sees elsewhere. “I know it’s a poor Pakistan bowling attack, but even Josh Tongue and Jofra Archer have contributed with the bat. I like Emilio Gay’s tempo at the top of the order. He bats time and knows when to absorb pressure. English cricket, and this side in particular, have been crying out for that.”
The 14 half-centuries without a hundred
England’s wait for a hundred has become a matter of record. Brook (75), Smith (69), Lawrence (65), Gay (60) and Ollie Robinson (50) have all passed fifty without reaching three figures.
Fourteen half-centuries have been scored across the series without a single hundred. That is the first time it has happened in a Test series in England since the 1888 Ashes.
Hussain on beating Australia
“You can beat Pakistan with 40s, 50s and 60s,” Hussain said. “To beat Australia, or the New Zealand side we saw earlier in the summer, you need big hundreds and massive scores. England just need to convert those starts into big scores.”
Stuart Broad’s reassessment
Stuart Broad has a different read on the numbers. The former England bowler argues the conditions this summer have made a 60 worth as much as a century on a flat pitch.
“Top-order batting has been very difficult in this series,” Broad said. “Root, England’s best-ever player, has struggled for runs in this series. If he’s struggling, it’s OK for everyone else to struggle.”
Ollie Robinson’s bowling numbers
Broad pointed to the bowling attack as proof that runs have been hard to come by. “We can’t praise the likes of Ollie Robinson, who is getting 20-odd wickets at an average of around 6.00, and also say, ‘We should be getting more centuries.'”
“To be honest, this summer I think a 60 has felt like a hundred. You’ve had to work as hard for a 60 on these pitches as you would for a hundred on a normal Test match surface.”
England’s commanding lead
England’s first-innings lead of 320 puts them firmly in control at Edgbaston. Pakistan are still 268 runs behind.
The hosts are on course for a 3-0 series sweep, with day three set to resume at 10.15am on Friday.
The series results
| Test | Result |
|---|---|
| First Test (Headingley) | England won by innings and 103 runs |
| Second Test (Lord’s) | England won by 194 runs |
| Third Test (Edgbaston) | September 9-13, in progress |
England remain firmly in control, with day three live on Sky Sports Cricket from 10.15am on Friday.
Source: skysports.com
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