The long awaited test series between England and Pakistan in 2016 is scheduled from July 14 and it will end on September 4. It is a long series consisting of 5 test matches which will test the capabilities of players from both sides. Matches will be held at Lords, Manchester, Birmingham, oval and Southampton. Both teams will fight hard as England has got a wonderful reputation at home while Pakistanis are unpredictable and can spring a big surprise. Arrival of MOHAMMAD IRFAN will bolster the pace attack and he would be complimented by JUNAID Khan and Wahaab Riaz. Both are seasoned players with the capability to swing the ball both ways. In batting department, the exit of SHOAIB MALLICK has left a void in the middle order however the name sake MAQSUD will easily fill the shoes with his amazing knocks.
England on its part has the services of the indomitable opener Alistair Cook who has delivered great knocks in the past to win matches for the team. In the middle order Joe Butler and EOIN Morgan will be the players to watch out for because they can provide stability after the opening order collapse. Negotiating the tall fast bowler Irfan would be the key for Cook. It will be an interesting duel making the whole series memorable.
Pakistan batsmen have a known history of poorly playing the swinging deliveries. Openers would have to be in the best of forms to counter the swings of Anderson and Broad. Younus Khan in the middle order is the only batsman of repute who can stand like a rock against the English onslaught. In the spin department, the English shelf looks empty as they have only MOEEN ALI to rely on. Pakistan can count on ZULFIQAR BABUR and YASEER SHAH to bamboozle the English batsmen. By analyzing the strength of the team, it is difficult to predict the victors.