England lost their penultimate Test series of the year after slipping to a 2-1 defeat on their of Pakistan. Here, PA looks at the key questions they need to address.
Should they have expected to beat Pakistan
On paper, there were plenty of reasons to fancy the tourists. They won 3-0 in their previous visit in 2022 and their opponents had not won a single home Test for over three and a half years, including five defeats in a row under new captain Shan Masood. An innings win in the opener at Multan continued those trends but it took some extreme measures to turn the tide. Pakistan took drastic action to prepare spinning pitches, reusing the same surface in an unprecedented move and then aggressively manipulating the usually benign surface at Rawalpindi to repeat the trick. In those circumstances, England’s prospects were always diminished.
Was Pakistan’s pitch work fair?
It is unheard of for one pitch to host back-to-back Tests within a handful of days and the use of industrial fans, patio heaters and rakes hinted at desperation. But it is hard to argue that conditions were worse than the stubbornly flat track that allowed England to declare on 823 in the first match. The ball turned early and often but it would be a stretch to say the contest between bat and ball was unfair. To their credit, there was barely a murmur of complaint from the England camp.
What can England learn from their trial by spin?
After losing 4-1 in India at the start of 2024, they have now lost six of their eight games in the sub-continent this year. Put simply, they are not comfortable when the ball is turning and the seamers are pushed to the periphery. England have perhaps become over-reliant on the sweep as a batting unit, using the stroke on a one-size-fits-all basis rather than being selective. But Noman Ali and Sajid Khan comprehensively outbowled the visiting spinners too. Given the lack of assistance from typical English pitches perhaps that is no surprise but surely work must be done to produce more spinning surfaces in county cricket rather than discourage the likes of Somerset.
How secure is Ollie Pope?
Pope has come under increased scrutiny after managing just 55 runs in five innings, underlining his reputation as a skittish starter. He averages 32 this year in the pivotal position of number three, with a hat-trick of fine centuries dragged down by 11 single figure scores. England would be loath to cut their vice-captain, who has led the team four times in the last six Tests, and will surely back him to come good in the upcoming tour of New Zealand. Another quiet series there would be harder to stomach.
How is Shoaib Bashir shaping up?
It was always going to be a punt to anoint such an inexperienced bowler as first-choice spinner, as England did at the start of the summer. Bashir leapfrogged Jack Leach in the Test team despite acting as his understudy at Somerset and their dynamic was intriguing over the past few weeks. Statistically it was a clean sweep for the left-armer, with Leach’s record of 16 wickets at 31.43 far outstripping the off-spinner’s tally of nine wickets at 49.55. He was also used more frequently. But Ben Stokes made a point of referring to the 21-year-old as “our spinner for all conditions”, suggesting he remains number one. Like Pope, he needs to repay that faith with results if he is to hold down his place all the way to the Holy Grail of next winter’s Ashes.