What is next for the English Test team? Part III

A Pakistan tour in two months, and England badly need a series win. It has been a grim last 18 months for the Three Lions. Out of the fourteen games they have played in this period, they won only six, and one of those wins came in a one-off Test against Zimbabwe. The last Test series they won that was more than one game came away in New Zealand back in 2024. They sit in seventh place in the World Test Championship, seemingly ignorant of the fact that the final takes place in England, on home soil, every two years. They now take on Pakistan, and in my view, England are, despite their recent struggles, still strong favourites to win this series. Looking at Pakistan currently, it is hard not to bet against them, frankly. Whitewashed 2-0 by Bangladesh, and then unable to chase down 210 against the West Indies. Furthermore, the chaotic nature of the PCB and how it is run makes Pakistan, at the moment, one of Test cricket’s weaker sides.

“Newly restored Pakistan captain Babar Azam couldn’t prevent his side losing three Tests in a row, despite averaging 65.33 in 2026.”

In addition, recently Pakistan’s bowling attack was recorded as the second slowest on average in Test cricket, with only Ireland bowling slower than them. Now, pace isn’t everything, of course, as Nathan Smith proved earlier this summer, but it is an indication that a nation once renowned for producing rapid fast bowlers—a rarity in the sub-continent—now simply… isn’t. Pakistan’s batting looked extremely vulnerable in Tarouba when facing up to the probing, aggressive seam bowling of Kemar Roach and Jayden Seales. However, there are signs of life. A nation such as Pakistan, with a population of 259 million people, where cricket is far and away the most popular sport, will always produce enough high-quality players to compete. Recently restored skipper Babar Azam is one of them, and his gritty 58* in defeat to the West Indies showed real character. Supporting him on the bowling side of things is veteran seamer Mohammad Abbas. Still going strong at the age of 36, Abbas looks like a real threat, and an average of 21.4 in England clearly demonstrates how away conditions don’t affect his quality. Young opener Azan Awais is one to watch too. Awais notched up a ton on Test debut, and averages 46 in First-Class cricket. How the 21-year-old will face up to the infamous challenge of opening in England against the likes of Josh Tongue and Jofra Archer will be both a firm test of his mettle, and an interesting indication of how bright his international future really looks.

Predictions

Series Result: England 2-1 Pakistan

In what will be a fiercely contested series, with both sides eager to get back to winning ways, I find it impossible to look past England as winners. They simply have too much talent, and are facing Pakistan at exactly the right time. That said, with fitness concerns plaguing the team, I can see Pakistan being able to scrap out a victory and push the series all the way.

Top Run Scorer: Harry Brook

There are a handful of other potential batters that I would tip to score the most runs (Pakistan captain Babar Azam foremost among them), but England’s Harry Brook is overdue a big series. Middling in the Ashes, and less than impressive against New Zealand, Brook’s last in-form Test series was last year at home versus India. He also has scored runs for fun against Pakistan in recent matches, averaging a career-high 84 against them.

Top Wicket Taker: Mohammad Abbas

Abbas is a true rarity. A bowler whose average actually improves when playing away from home. He picked up his seventh five-for against the West Indies in the recent Test match at Tarouba, and looks in fine form coming into this series.

Key Battles

If England are to win this series, they must be able to fully utilise their home advantage, and also expose Pakistan’s glaring weaknesses. Having a fairly inexperienced top order is already a chink in the armour, and batting on green, seamer-friendly wickets will only serve to exacerbate the problem. For Pakistan, their heavy overreliance on just a few key players has been their undoing in recent games. For example, Babar Azam was the only player to pass fifty in their second innings against the West Indies. Similarly, Mohammad Abbas took eight wickets out of the twenty that fell their way in Tarouba. If Pakistan are to succeed against England, they will need other members of their team to step up and contribute with bat and ball.

“In the last series against Pakistan, Harry Brook became just the sixth Test cricketer to score a triple hundred for England.”

Fleming on Debut

New Zealand legend Stephen Fleming has just been appointed as the new Test head coach, after leaving IPL outfit Chennai Super Kings. “Flemball” now faces its first obstacle, and frankly, can be somewhat relieved. Instead of facing an out-of-form Pakistan side at home, Fleming’s debut as head coach could easily have been against one of Test cricket’s giants such as India or Australia. A decision to let someone such as Marcus Trescothick, or Freddie Flintoff take over as interim manager for the Pakistan series, and then bring Fleming in could have seen the Kiwi’s first matchup be away in South Africa, against the World Test Champions. This is a real opportunity for Fleming to get the ball rolling and restore some badly needed confidence to this flagging England team. As well as picking up some WTC points! For all the good it will do England from here.

Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed. :)