RAWALPINDI: Pakistan have retained their spin-heavy team for series-deciding third Test against England starting Thursday as both sides anticipate another dry wicket that will suit the slow bowlers.

The groundsmen at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium have been trying to dry out the track for the last four days, with the help of industrial-sized fans and outdoor heaters, as Pakistan hope to replicate their spin-led success in Multan which ended a drought of home wins stretching back to 2021.

Left-arm spinner Noman Ali and off-spinner Sajid Khan claimed all 20 England wickets in the second Test, on a recycled wicket in Multan, to level the series at 1-1.

England had won the series opener by an innings after they posted a record-breaking 823-7, with Harry Brook scoring a triple century and Joe Root making a career-best 262

The third specialist slow bowler, leg-spinner Zahid Mahmood, bowled six wicketless overs in England’s first innings, and was not even required in the second innings as the visitors folded for 144 against Ali and Khan to lose the second Test by 152 runs.

“It [the wicket] is very dry with not a lot of grass on it,” Pakistan head coach Jason Gillespie said on Wednesday. “We probably expect it to favour the slower bowlers.”

The toss could be crucial, with both teams looking to bat first and maximise the impact of their spinners on a deteriorating pitch.

“It [the toss] is a 50-50 call, you always want it to go your way,” Gillespie said. “Both teams will have that mindset but, yeah, we’ll see.”

Gillespie acknowledged Pakistan’s recent Test cricket struggles but expressed pride in the team’s progress.

“Any win is significant, and we’re doing well as a support staff, focusing on key areas,” the former Australia fast bowler said.

Following the first Test defeat in Multan, the Pakistan Cricket Board had decided that a new selection panel will come in and make decisions.

“As head coach, my focus remains on the players and let the selectors do their job,” noted Gille­spie. “We’ll concentrate on playing our best cricket.”

Pakistan have performed poorly in all formats in the past year, losing 2-0 in a home Test series to Bangladesh and crashing out of the ODI and Twenty20 World Cups in the first rounds.

A series victory over England would mark a stark change in fortunes.

“Over the last few years Pakistan’s Test cric­ket hasn’t been where we’d like it to be, so any win is a positive,” said Gillespie, outlining Paki­stan’s strategy to combat England’s spinners.

“England have got young spinners in early stages of their career and then they have got Jack Leach who is a must more experienced bowler, so they have got good options,” he said. “Our batters are very clear what their plans. Hopefully we can put England bowlers under pressure and post some really good scores in this Test match.”

The wicket has encouraged England to recall leg-spinner Rehan Ahmed as its third specialist slow option to go with Jack Leach’s left-arm spin and the off-spin of Shoaib Bashir.

England captain Ben Stokes believes the Rawalpindi Test will boil down to a spin battle.

“Who knows what’s going to happen?” said Stokes after England’s last training session at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on the eve of the third and final Test.

“It looks a very good wicket at the moment [but] with some cricket on it, it might change. We feel the longer it goes, more spin is going to come into play. I’ll be backing the three spinners that we’ve picked.”

The recalled Rehan has replaced Matthew Potts in the England team while Gus Atkinson, who was part of the memorable win by an innings and 47 runs in the first Test, will replace rested fast bowler Brydon Carse.

Reverse swing with the old ball might be ineffective, with a greener square on both sides of the wicket.

“The square is very lush and green,” Stokes said. “It’s going to be hard to manufacture reverse swing. The longer the games goes on, the more spin is going to come in.”

Stokes described the team’s last training session as an opportunity to “mix things up and create positive vibes” after a long tour.

“Scoring 800 runs on any wicket would be wonderful, but we’ll assess the pitch’s conditions and adjust our strategy accordingly,” he said. “We need to see how the bowlers fare and take the game from there.”

Teams:

PAKISTAN: Saim Ayub, Abdullah Shafique, Shan Masood (captain), Kamran Ghulam, Saud Shakeel, Salman Ali Agha, Mohammad Rizwan, Aamer Jamal, Noman Ali, Sajid Khan, Zahid Mahmood.

ENGLAND: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (captain), Jamie Smith, Gus Atkinson, Rehan Ahmed, Jack Leach, Shoaib Bashir.

Published in Dawn, October 24th, 2024