2 weeks Ago By The Telegraph
England crashed to in the third Test against Pakistan, meaning they lose the series 2-1 despite winning the opening game. Here’s how both sets of player rated across the three matches. Older than some of his upper-order colleagues, and wiser, he was the only England batsman to post a 50 in all three Tests.
His century in the second Multan Test formed a brilliant counter-attack in ever more challenging conditions. The longer-term concern is his defence when pace bowlers – of whom none was to be seen in the final Test! – come round the wicket and pitch a full length. Went backwards, unlike his opening partner.
The tendency to do what Pakistan’s spinners wanted him to do was apparent: to drive at a temptingly flighted wider ball, or plant his front foot half-forward when the new ball was going to skid through. He will be more relieved than most that England will not be touring Asia again for a Test series until 2027. As man cannot live by bread alone, so England’s vice-captain cannot survive in the team on the basis of his 196 in the first Test against India at the start of this year.
Subsequently he has increased in calmness on coming to the crease, a bit, and he is playing straighter, a bit, but this does not amount to a No 3 who can direct the England innings in most circumstances. Sorry, it is time to try somebody else. But never forget what an excellent close-fielder he is.
Not so much of a come-down after his first-Test heroics as Harry Brook but he could not pilot England through the stormier waters, if the two turning pitches can be so termed. And maybe it is actually harder to radiate technical and temperamental competence when mad shots are being played at the other end. Time to experiment with the Rahul Dravid method of playing spin back where it came from, instead of working across the line? For sure he should have bowled more in the final Test where the pitch was so suited to finger-spin.
A comedown after his 317 was unavoidable, but it was a big comedown with 56 runs in the last two Tests. Impetuous might be the right word, or overadventurous, or too high-risk, starting with his two dismissals in the second Test when trying to force the pace off the back foot. Such eagerness, to score off almost every ball, when he has a perfect forward defensive shot in his locker, weights the game in the bowler’s favour.
It is not enough, in the Yorkshire tradition, to be brilliant only when the going is good. Having missed out on the bat-fest in the opening Test (owing to his hamstring injury during the Hundred), his batting returns were lean, as they often have been in Asia. Turning tracks somehow defy his willpower.
His captaincy revolved around showing faith in his young spinners, especially Shoaib Bashir, but it was occasionally unfounded. His bowling was in the third Test when, amazingly, by his own admission, he felt he did not have enough to offer. Could it be that his overall confidence in this Bazball project is being questioned by himself? Altogether his leanest series.
It was always going to be his sternest test, to keep wicket and bat on turning pitches, and it was a partial success. For long periods he kept immaculately but it takes only one missed chance per Test to damage confidence in the other department of his game, and this is what appeared to happen. Those drops of Salman Agha and Saud Shakeel took their toll.
But he has the defence, calmness and decision-making ability to be a vital part of the Bazball reset, in addition to the brilliant hitting. An admirable first Test series abroad. His bowling in utterly unhelpful conditions was quick and straight and gave the batsmen nothing.
Pakistan has been a fast bowler’s graveyard for such as Dennis Lillee so that was something. All of his cricket has the same smack of unfussy purposefulness. He looked as calm as any England batsman on the turner in Rawalpindi, even if that is not saying much.
That was a wonderful contribution in the final Test: he transferred his zest into the ball and fizzed his wrist-spinners through. So still a good option in Tests in Asia. The let-down was his batting.
Only five Tests he has played but he should not be averaging fewer than ten. All that talent – remember he on the eve of the final Test – will be squandered if he does not build his innings. A bit of a comedown in the third Test after taking seven wickets in each of the first two.
Were Pakistan’s batsmen getting used to him? Was he short of luck as the ball beat the outside edge of their right-handers in Rawalpindi? For sure he could have tried a different line to their left-handers like Saud Shakeel, by bowling outside their off-stump and hoping for the ball to turn out of the rough, rather being milked legside. Ultimately the difference between the teams was the off-spinners: Sajid Khan bowled like a man possessed, Bashir like a work in progress. He bowled wicket-taking balls, especially at left-handers, and for an hour on day two in Rawalpindi he recalled which Stokes saw, sparking his career.
But the lingering image is of one of his off-breaks, over-pitched and too legside, being worked legside by Saud Shakeel during his match-winning century – and as there were only three men on the legside, two of them deep, these were gifts. The big gain from this series. Undeterred by flat pitches, capable of bounce and pace and reverse-swing, he can be bolted on as third seamer in Australia.
Whole-hearted is not always the biggest compliment for fast-medium bowlers because it implies they do not do much with the ball. But Potts is doing so; it is just an extra few mph that he needs to become a regular, which might prove elusive. Another modest Test abroad because of the lack of lateral movement, but his first-ball dismissal of Abdullah Shafique fired England in the Multan victory.
And a splendid barista on the coffee machine England brought with them. Nothing much with the bat apart from his century on the flat one in Multan but contributed good fielding around the bat. He sobered up after his crazy shot in the opening Test and made good runs thereafter considering how frail Pakistan opening partnerships have been.
Apart from his 151 when Multan was a featherbed he did very little with the bat but in the field he got to grips with his spinners and England’s batsmen very capably. His century on Test debut after replacing Babar Azam set Pakistan on the road to recovery even though his defence against pace was far less than his strokeplay against spin. His century in the third Test when there was little pace to discomfort him killed off England’s chances of winning this series.
Seriously tough and organised against England’s spinners when playing within his limitations, an example the tourists did not follow. A very modest series with the bat in scoring only 99 runs as his defence was exposed by England’s pace bowlers, but his wicketkeeping was outstanding and made Pakistan’s spinners all the more lethal. Masterful in organising Pakistan’s lower order and attacking England’s spinners at No 7, and world-class even in his slip fielding off the spinners.
A fine all-rounder in the making and not least in the field where he was Pakistan’s best outfielder; otherwise useful runs and a bit of reverse swing. It was a joy to watch this classical left-arm spinner go through all his variations like using the crease to vary the angle and lowering his arm. A thorny customer at No 9 who helped turn the tide in the final Test with 45 crucial runs.
The personality of this series as well as the player of it, his pugnacity revived Pakistan in the second Test and his hitting finished England off in the third. Driving his off-breaks through the loosening Punjab turf he was too much for England and their naivety. Took 19 wickets at only 21.
Superfluous to Pakistan requirements as a wrist spinner simply because his two finger-spinning colleagues were busy overwhelming England. A beautiful batsman but his introversion and dropped catch set Pakistan off on the wrong foot. His replacement Kamran Ghulam had the right attitude.
Did not really deserve to be dropped after toiling in the Multan opener but strategy dictated. Such a lovely action that it is to be hoped his pace and outswing will come again. His pace was right down in the opening Test so it was time for a break.
How much does he actually want to play Test cricket when every T20 franchise wants him?.
