Home
Cricket
Joe Root. during the first test between England & Pakistan, 2018
Joe Root. during the first test between England & Pakistan, 2018 | (Photo by Philip Brown/Getty Images)

England’s first innings struggle’s lead to first test loss | ratings

George Marrable
Cricket

By George Marrable

  • Pakistan won the first test by nine wickets at Lords
  • Victory for the tourists came on fourth day of the test match
  • Mohammad Abbas took 8 wickets for Pakistan during the match
LONDON, ENGLAND – A score of 70 from Alastair Cook could not save England from defeat, as they were crushed by nine wickets by Pakistan in the first of two test matches.

 

[table “ADCricTix” not found /]

 

England

Alastair Cook – 6/10 –Cook played an excellent innings in England’s first innings, making 70 as they struggled to 184. Playing some impressive straight drives and holding the innings together, Cook showed that he still has an important role in the test side.

Mark Stoneman – 2/10 –Stoneman did not make double figures in a difficult game for the opening batsman.

Joe Root – 6/10 – A score of 68 from the England captain nearly helped them salvage the test match. A score of 68 in the second innings showcased the batsman’s class, but was not enough for the side.

Dawid Malan – 3/10 – A poor performance for Malan, making a high score of just 12 in the match.

Jonny Bairstow – 4/10 – One of the few fairly bright spots from the England first innings, the ‘keeper made 27 as the third top scorer in the innings.

Ben Stokes – 6/10 – Stokes made 38 In the first innings, making him the second highest run scorer in the first innings. The all-rounder took three wickets, leading the attack with the ball alongside James Anderson.

Jos Buttler – 6/10 – Buttler made a defiant 67 to try and rescue the game, but was dismissed early on day four to stop any chances of a comeback.

Dom Bess – 4/10 – Debutant Bess made 57 with Buttler, but came away wicketless in his first test match for England.

Mark Wood – 4/10 – Whilst only getting a couple ofovers in the second innings, Wood bowled sharply and picked up two wickets in the first innings, including the wicket of Sohail.

Stuart Broad – 3/10 –Just the one wicket for Broad, despite bowling economically and constantly testing the outside edge of the Pakistan batsmen.

James Anderson – 6/10 – As he so often does, Anderson led the attack for England and came away with three wickets in the first innings. In perfect conditions for the bowler, Anderson constantly tested the batsmen throughout the innings.

Pakistan

Azhar Ali – 5/10 – A slow, yet measured, 50 in the first innings led Pakistan to a strong lead over England. Despite being dismissed early by Anderson in the second innings, his score was vital in getting the tourists off to a good start.

Imam ul-Haq – 3/10 – A high score of just 18 made for a disappointing game for ul-Haq.

Haris Sohail – 7/10 –Back-to-back scores of 39 in both innings were vital for Pakistan, seeing them home with some confident strokes in the second innings.

Asad Shafiq – 6/10 – Shafiq batted magnificently in the first innings, making 59 with some excellent strokes. He built good partnerships with Azhar and Babar, and helped Pakistan build a strong first innings total.

Babar Azam – 7/10 – Despite having to retire hurt, Azam led the charge for Pakistan in the first innings. He top-scored with 68 in the first innings, playing some brilliant shots and dominating England bowlers before being struck on the arm by Stokes.

Sarfaz Ahmed – 2/10 –Sarfraz made just nine runs in his sole innings in the game.

Shadab Khan – 7/10 – Shadab only had one chance to bat but, like many of the Pakistan batsmen, he made the most of it as he made 57 at over one run every two balls.

Faheem Ashraf – 5/10 –Faheem made a very useful 37 in the first innings, adding some vital runs lower down the order for the tourists. However, he came away with just one wicket in his spells of bowling, and will hope for better in the second test.

Hasan Ali – 6/10 – It was a tale of two innings for Ali! He picked up four wickets in the first innings, bowling good areas and picking up the big wicket of Root, but failed to take any wickets in the final innings.

Mohammad Amir – 8/10 –Not only did the Pakistan quick bowler take five big wickets in the game, Amir also added a useful 24 at the end of the innings to propel Pakistan to a good total. He bowled quickly and used the conditions to get good movement and create constant trouble for the batsmen.

Mohammad Abbas – 9/10 – Abbas was named player of the match at Lords after taking 8 wickets in the game for Pakistan. The seamer found consistent areas in his spells, determined to bowl full and test the England batsmen just outside the off-stump.

[table “ADTPW” not found /]