LONDON: Pakistan coach Mickey Arthur believes his ‘fearless’ side have everything to gain when they face an ‘under the pump’ England in the first Test at Lord’s on Thursday.

England will be looking for some much-needed home comfort after recent winless Test tours of Australia and New Zealand extended their poor away record in cricket’s longest format to 13 matches without a victory.

Pakistan, by contrast, enter this two-match campaign on the back of a morale-boosting five-wicket win over Test debutants Ireland at Malahide last week.

“We haven’t come here not to win,” Arthur told reporters at Lord’s on Tuesday. “It’s a changing room full of very, very skilled cricketers, very young cricketers, fearless cricketers. If we get the breaks and things go our way, they will certainly put England under pressure.”

England, in their first Test since Ed Smith became their new head selector, continue to have doubts over a batting order where captain Joe Root has been promoted to number three, wicket-keeper Jonny Bairstow to five and Jos Buttler recalled at seven.

But Somerset off-spinner Dominic Bess will make his England debut, Root has confirmed.

Bess was included after county colleague Jack Leach was forced to withdraw with injury.

England have named 12 players and still have to decide between seam-bowling all-rounder Chris Woakes and fast bowler Mark Wood for the last place in their XI, with Root saying conditions on the morning of the match would influence which way they went.

Bess, 20, has added a touch of youthful enthusiasm to an England squad attempting to bounce back after failing to win any of their seven combined Tests in Australia and New Zealand.

“He seems really clear about what he wants to do in the game and how to approach this week, and that’s all you can ask for from someone making their debut,” Root told reporters at Lord’s on Wednesday.

“I remember mine, you just want tomorrow to come around, to get your cap and get on with it.

“He’s approached the week really well and hopefully he can have a good start to what’s a good, long career.”

Arthur conceded the home conditions would suit England. “In their home conditions, England are a different team to England abroad. We’ve had a look obviously at Buttler, he adds an attacking side to England.”

Two years ago, England were held to a 2-2 home draw by Pakistan in a four-Test series.

Since then veteran batsmen Misbah-ul-Haq and Younis Khan have both retired, with Pakistan hoping the likes of Azhar Ali and Asad Shafiq can fill the void.

But it is Imam-ul-Haq, the nephew of Pakistan selection chief and former Test batsman Inzamam-ul-Haq, who has made three fifties from as many games this tour — including a match-clinching innings against Ireland.

“He’s a totally different character to Inzi,” said Arthur of Imam, a 22-year-old left-handed opener, who is somewhat quicker between the wickets than his celebrated uncle. “He played beautifully for us, under pressure, against Ireland in his Test debut.”

Arthur believes Pakistan are fitter now than when he took over two years ago and more aggressive with it.

“We are an incredibly fit unit. The guys have trained unbelievably hard, not that we weren’t coming in 2016 but that was the start of almost the fitness regime,” he said. “The brand of cricket we are playing is certainly more attacking. We felt we needed to change with the times and get another bowler in,” the former South Africa and Australia coach explained of a side captained by wicket-keeper Sarfraz Ahmed.

Sarfraz, meanwhile, wants the side’s quartet of senior players to help take the pressure off the rest of the team.

For at least seven members of the tourists’ side, Thursday’s fixture will be the first time they have played a a match at the ‘home of cricket’.

By contrast, Mohammad Amir — whose career came to a shuddering halt after his involvement in a spot-fixing scandal, Sarfraz and batsmen Azhar Ali and Asad Shafiq have all played at the London headquarters of Marylebone Cricket Club.

“Yes, the senior players in the team have to show responsibility,” Sarfraz told reporters at Lord’s on Wednesday.

“We have to lead from the front, we have more responsibility to give a good platform so that the new players take it from there,” he added.

Pakistan come into this game on the back of a five-wicket win over Test debutants in Ireland, where the conditions were similar to those they could face at Lord’s if confronted with a typical early-season English pitch offering seam movement and some overcast skies.

“As a team we have more confidence because that was our first big match,” said Sarfraz. “The way new players put up a good performance that helped us gain confidence.”

One of those new players was Test debutant Imam-ul-Haq.

Some pundits attacked the 22-year-old left-hander’s inclusion in the tour squad on nepotism grounds given Imam is the nephew of Pakistan selection chief and former Test batsman Inzamam-ul-Haq.

But Imam has answered his critics with three fifties to date this tour, including a match-clinching 74 not out on the last day against Ireland that rescued Pakistan from the depths of 14 for three.

“I am very pleased the way he is playing, especially in the second innings [in Dublin],” said Sarfraz. “It’s not easy for a youngster playing his first Test, it was a crucial knock of 74 runs and as a captain I am very confident he will continue performing well like that.”

Sarfraz said it was important Pakistan treated the match like any other and did not play the likes of senior England stalwarts on their reputations.

“They [England] have experienced players but I have told my players not to get worried about that,” he explained. “Take it as a domestic match, the way you have got into the team after performing well in domestic matches, play without fear and play your best game.

“The worse will be that we lose this match, but this is a young team, seven of our players will be playing at Lord’s for the first time, so that in itself an honour.

“If these youngsters do well here and gain confidence then it will be good for their future and for the Pakistan team.”

Pakistan may opt to replace Rahat Ali with Hasan Ali in probably the only change from the said that played Ireland.

“No matter what there will be an Ali playing!” joked Arthur.

Cook will open the batting in his 155th Test alongside Mark Stoneman, a partnership which failed to convince in Australia or New Zealand and has been retained largely due to a lack of viable alternatives.

Cook has endured a lean run for the past 12 months, two double centuries including a superb unbeaten 244 in Melbourne bolstering his average amidst a run of low scores.

His footwork looked all at sea in New Zealand and the obdurate 33-year-old left-hander needs early runs to extend his prolific career.

Pakistan, seventh in the Test rankings, rarely enjoy English conditions and a young team captained by Sarfraz is likely to include only four players who took part in their last series in England two years ago.

Teams (from):

ENGLAND: Alastair Cook, Mark Stoneman, Joe Root (captain), Dawid Malan, Jonny Bairstow, Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler, Chris Woakes, Dominic Bess, Stuart Broad, James Anderson, Mark Wood.

PAKISTAN: Azhar Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, Haris Sohail, Asad Shafiq, Babar Azam, Sarfraz Ahmed (captain), Faheem Ashraf, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Amir, Hasan Ali, Mohammad Abbas, Rahat Ali.

Umpires: Rod Tucker (Australia) and Paul Reiffel (Australia).

TV umpire: Bruce Oxenford (Australia).

Match referee: Jeff Crowe (New Zealand).

Published in Dawn, May 24th, 2018