England return to Edgbaston next month to take on Pakistan in an Investec Test Match on Wednesday 3 – Sunday 7 August. As a countdown to this unmissable game, we’ve looked at previous encounters between these two great cricket nations, England’s win 113 run victory in 1982, the draw in 1992 and now we look back to the 2010 Test which was the last time they went head to head at Edgbaston.
Team News
England: Strauss, Cook, Trott, Pietersen, Collingwood, Morgan, Prior, Swann, Broad, Anderson and Finn.
Pakistan: Farhat, Butt, Ali, Malik, Akmal, Amin, Haider, Amir, Gul, Ajmal and Asif.
England secured a 2-0 lead in the four-match series after a nine-wicket win in the second Test at Edgbaston.
Andrew Strauss and Jonathan Trott hit unbeaten half-centuries to guide England to an emphatic nine-wicket win in the second Test at Edgbaston to give them a 2-0 lead in the series. Both batsmen finished on 53 with the second-wicket pair making light work of chasing down 118 runs for victory.
England did the hard work before lunch and when they resumed, 47 were needed with the bite gone from Pakistan’s attack. Strauss went to his fifty from 108 balls then Trott brought up the same milestone, his second fifty of the match, with a powerful cover drive which levelled the scores. Strauss secured victory via a rather inglorious inside edge but he’ll be highly satisfied by another successful outing,
The day began with thoughts of Pakistan continuing their resurgence from the third evening and going into the fourth day Pakistan were 291 for 9 with Zulqarnian Haider top scoring with 88 runs. The visitors had left themselves far too much ground to make up after crumbling for just 72 on the opening day with Anderson, Broad and Finn taking all 10 wickets.
It took England just 11 balls to wrap up Pakistan’s innings as Stuart Broad, lighter in the wallet after his fine for throwing the ball at Haider the day before, had Mohammad Asif taken in the gully. However, Pakistan managed the early breakthrough they desperately wanted when Cook’s stumps were demolished by Mohammad Amir.
Amir’s eight-over opening spell was another eye-catching display from the 18-year-old and he could easily have collected a second scalp as he beat the outside edges of Strauss and Trott. Saeed Ajmal was introduced for the eighth over and nearly followed Graeme Swann’s lead by striking straight away, but Haider couldn’t gather Strauss’s thick outside edge. It was a tough chance, but the type of opportunity that needed to stick if Pakistan were to stay in the contest.
Boundaries were hard to come by, but both Strauss and Trott timed the ball nicely when the opportunity came. Trott produced the shot of the morning when he flicked Asif through midwicket. Much had been expected of Ajmal after his five-wicket haul in the first innings, but he wasn’t able to provide the same threat as Swann. He couldn’t quite find the right pace for the surface to extract the optimal turn and, tellingly, couldn’t send down a maiden until his tenth over. England proved far too strong for inexperienced opposition and wrapped up another victory at Edgbaston.
Man of the Match
Graeme Swann was given the man of the match award after his brilliant spell in the second innings to help his side bowl out Pakistan for 296 runs. Swann, took 6 wickets for 65-runs in 37 overs and his devastating bowling resulted in England needing just 118 runs for victory in their second innings. Swann claimed the wickets of Farhat, Ali, Akmal, Amin, Haider and Ajmal and was rightly awarded the man of the match award.
Can Pakistan Finally win at Edgbaston?
England are undefeated in Test Match cricket against Pakistan at Edgbaston in seven previous encounters. However, with a batting line-up that includes Mohammad Hafeez, Younus Khan, Misbah-ul-Haq, Sarfraz Ahmed, Azhar Ali and Asad Shafiq, all of which are in the top 25 of the ICC Test Player Rankings, the tourists will fancy their chances this time around. Adults are from just £31 with Under 16’s from only £6. Please note we have limited availability in most stands for the Friday 5 August (Day 3).
