By Jake Goodwill
- Pakistan win the first match of the series at Lord’s.
- England undone by the spin of Yasir Shah.
- Chris Woakes’ 11 wickets was not enough to save England.
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England
Alastair Cook (c) 6/10 – Although the England skipper scored 81 in the first innings it was streaky with two catches being put down. Cook looked short of his best form.
Alex Hales 4/10 – Two poor dismissals for Hales. His footwork and alignment of the ball outside the off stump showed signs of regression towards the South Africa series.
Joe Root 5/10 – Root brought excellent tempo to England’s first innings, scoring 48, and looked in complete control. However, a poor shot ended his innings prematurely which was replicated in the second innings. On the plus side, the transition to number three caused no problems.
James Vince 5/10 – The Hampshire captain looks the part but once again failed to post a score of significance. Vince will be particularly frustrated with chasing a wide ball on 42 in the second innings. A poor shot selection.
Gary Ballance 6/10 – The returning Yorkshireman looked incompetent against the spin of Yasir Shah in the first innings but recovered well playing the leg spinner for a well-crafted 43 in the second innings. England needed to him to push on but it was a promising return.
Jonny Bairstow (WK) 6/10 – Bairstow is one of the few England batsman that comes out of this game with credit. He learned from his dismissal in the first innings and bounced back with a resistant 48. In circumstances which did not suit his natural game Bairstow acquitted himself admirably. His wicket keeping is still a slight concern after dropping another catch.
Moeen Ali 5/10 – Ali was whacked out of the attack by Misbah-Ul-Huq in the first innings although some revenge was had as he dismissed the Pakistan captain for a duck in the second. However, his bowling was disappointing on the whole which was then compounded by an awful shot, especially considering the match situation, to be dismissed for 0 in England’s run chase. The leg spin of Adil Rashid is likely to be considered by England as a potential alternative.
Chris Woakes 9/10 – A career establishing performance from Woakes. He took 11 wickets in the match, and is only the twelfth England bowler to produce two five-wicket hauls in a Test match at Lord’s. Ian Botham was the last to do so back in 1978. Woakes also batted well scoring some vital runs and resisting the Pakistan attack with more skill than some of the England batsman. Unfortunate not to be given man of the match.
Stuart Broad 7/10 – After a disappointing day one with the ball Broad bounced back taking three wickets in both innings. A good performance. His dismissal by Mohammad Amir in the second innings reiterated that his batting is not what it once was.
Steven Finn 5/10 – Finn failed to take a wicket in the match. He bowled poorly and looked short of form in the first innings. Two dropped catches in the second innings were unfortunate for the Middlesex fast bowler. He is likely to miss out if Anderson and Stokes return for Old Trafford.
Jake Ball 6/10 – The debutant bowled well in the first innings with decent pace taking one wicket. Ball was less impressive in the second innings and is also likely to be left out for England’s returning regulars.
Pakistan
Mohammad Hafeez 6/10 – Mixed performance from Hafeez. He batted with good tempo in the first innings but got a duck in the second. He took some good catches but dropped a simple one. Room for improvement.
Shan Masood 5/10 – Masood struggled in the first innings looking uncomfortable. He looked more competent in the second innings but England will feel he is an easy wicket with the new ball.
Azhar Ali 5/10 – He never got going at Lord’s. Ali is a good player but England’s new ball bowling could get the better of him throughout the series.
Younus Khan 6/10 – Younus looked good in patches but failed to capitalise on two starts. Some flamboyant leaves were the highlight of his performance. Another who had a mixed time in the slips.
Misbah-Ul-Haq (c) 8/10 – The 42 year old made a brilliant hundred in his first appearance at Lord’s. He was cautious against the seamers and then dispatched Moeen Ali when he came on to bowl. His ability to convert a start into a hundred was a key factor in Pakistan winning the test.
Asad Shafiq 7/10 – Shafiq made 73 and 49 in the match which was a more than significant contribution considering the relatively low scoring nature of the match. He looks like a quality player at number six.
Sarfraz Ahmed (WK) 7/10 – The wicket keeper counter attacked nicely in both innings and was impressive behind the stumps.
Wahab Riaz 6/10 – Although Wahab only took two wickets in the game he bowled dangerously throughout. His pace and ability to utilise reverse swing was impressive.
Mohammad Amir 7/10 – Considering the amount of scrutiny and pressure Amir was facing he performed well. Amir took three wickets and showed glimpses of the skills that he possess.
Yasir Shah 9/10 – What a match for Shah. In his first match away from subcontinental conditions he took 10 wickets and has now been crowned the number one test bowler in the world. His ability to dominate England’s batsman in the first innings with little spin was mesmerising. Shah has the most wickets in test history after 13 matches. England need to learn how to cope with him fast.
Rahat Ali 7/10 – Ali crucially picked up the wickets of England’s top three in the second innings which put England’s run chase in doubt from the start. He was impressive with the new ball throughout.
The Second Test begins on Friday the 22nd of July at Old Trafford.
Jake Goodwill is a History student at the University of Bristol who covers Cricket and Rugby Union for Britwatch Sports. Find him on twitter @jakegoodwill1. Check out his blog here