On Hold ICC World Test Championship | Post your squads for the upcoming series.

[Akshay.]

South Africa anybody up for a One off Test in Round 5?

How about a 4 test series then instead of 3 vs South Africa?

 

[Till Valhalla]

4 it is.

 

[Akshay.]

@AliB @Yash. confirm 4 match series against Sri Lanka and post your squad for series against India

 

[CerealKiller]

Dry or Poor pitch is very much a spinning track like Pune pitch

Do we have to choose before the series or before each match?

 

[Akshay.]

Do we have to choose before the series or before each match?

Any of the two

 

[zwarrior]

Pakistan vs England

VS

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Pakistan-​

This will be a new face for the Pakistan team. With the announcement of retirement by two veterans Misbah Ul Haq and Younis Khan, Pakistan will have to work hard to fill the gaps these legends have left behind. Undoubtedly there will be a lot of pressure on the new skipper, Sarfaraz Ahmed who has to bore the pressure of captaincy along with keeping wickets. But Sarfaraz Ahmed will be riding high in confidence after his team proved everyone wrong and won the Champions Trophy. He will hope to carry the momentum from ODI to Test format.

The batting unit will be tested. Azhar Ali is in golden touch. But he hasn't found a suitable partner yet. The middle order is very shaky because of the absence of Misbah and Younis. So, there will be more pressure and expectations from the young talent Babar Azam, experienced Asad Shafiq and the skipper Sarfraz Ahmed.

The bowling unit, which is Pakistan's strong suit looks well settled. Mohammad Amir and Hasan Ali are in red hot form. And no one can doubt the brilliance of the leg spinner, Yasir Shah. Then there is Junaid Khan who created havoc in Champions trophy and Shadab Khan who is also handy with bat.

Players to watch out for-

1. Azhar Ali- He has two consecutive centuries in his last two matches. Arguably, one of the best openers going around at the moment. If he sets his eye, it will be really hard to stop him.
2. Mohammad Amir- He picked up 13 wickets in the last Test series he played. He can rip the England's top order and can expose the middle order. He will be very dangerous to face especially with the new ball.
3. Yasir Shah- He picked up 25 wickets in the Test Series against West Indies. He will be the key bowler for Pakistan as England don't have much experience batting against spinners. Yasir Shah is very familiar with the conditions and can win the match single handedly.

Weak Link - Even though there are players like Babar Azam, Sarfraz Ahmed and Asad Shafiq in the middle order, the batting unit might struggle against the experienced Anderson and Broad. They will have to find a replacement for Younis Khan and Misbah, which will be a very big void to fill. England know this and will try to expose the Pakistna's batsmen early on and try to put pressure on them.

Strong Link - It is no surprise that Pakistan's bowling is one of the best in the world. With the likes of Amir, Hasan Ali, Yasir Shah, Junaid Khan and Shadab Khan, Pakistan have lot of choices to pick the bowlers. Pakistan will rely heavily on their bowlers to restrict England from achieving high targets.

England-​

This will be the first time after so many years that England will have a new skipper. After recently stepping down, Alastair Cook has made way for Joe Root to handle the captaincy. There will be lot of pressure on the visitors as Pakistan is a very solid team especially in UAE. Joe Root will be heavily tested by the Pakistani team.

The batting unit will be under a lot of pressure. Apart from Root and Cook, there is not much experience and consistency in their batting unit. The middle order will be vulnerable against superior Pakistani bowlers.

The fast bowling unit is aligned perfectly. No one can match the experience of Broad and Anderson who will have to lead the bowling attack. The all rounders Stokes and Woakes will have to support the pace bowlers and have a lot of responsibility. Although there is no expert spinner in England side, Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid can surprise you on their day.

Players to watch out for-

1. Joe Root- Root is arguably one of the best batsmen in this era. Now with added responsibility of captaincy, he will be tested. He is very consistent but he is unable to convert his 50s into big score. This will be definitely on his mind and Pakistan will have to plan their attack carefully or else Root can destroy the opposition.
2. Ben Stokes- He will have a key role in this side. He can be dangerous with bat, ball and his fielding skills. He can take the game away from the opposition in one session. England's middle order will rely on him. He will have vital role with the ball too.
3. Stuart Broad- Along with Anderson, the duo will have to expose the Pakistan's batting. Broad had a good domestic season and will be confident with carrying on his form to UAE. He has so many tricks under his sleeves and he will definitely surprise the opposition.

Weak Link - Spinners will have a major role especially on 4th and 5th day. England has a very mediocre spin bowling. And England will definitely feel difficult to crack the Pakistani batsmen with their spinners. Pakistan have experience playing spinners well, so Ali, Rashid and Batty will be under pressure.

Strong Link - Their all rounders are very talented. Stokes, Woakes, Ali will have big part to say in this series. Alastair Cook is one of the best openers in the world and he will have to carry his team forward. He has a lot to offer for England's new captain. England's batsmen are dangerous and can set a huge total and can expect their two main pacers to back up with bowling.

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It will be a delight to watch Cook vs Amir, Root vs Yasir, Azhar vs Broad and Babar vs Anderson. England has a solid team with great batting and fast bowling. Although Pakistan's batting is not intimidating, their batsmen are more than capable of doing to job with bowlers backing them up. This will be a cracking series !

 

[zwarrior]

Just tagging relevant members who are managing the team. @Naman Thakur @CerealKiller

 

[RUDI]

Brilliantly written @zwarrior

 

[Akshay.]

@AliB @Yash. this

@AliB @Yash. confirm 4 match series against Sri Lanka and post your squad for series against India

 

[AliB]

Confirmed:

@AliB @Yash. confirm 4 match series against Sri Lanka and post your squad for series against India

SQUAD:


Amla
Elgar
Cook
du Plessis
de Villiers
Duniny
de Kock
Philander
Morris
Pretorious
Steyn
M Morkel
Rabada
Tahir
Maharaj

 

[Yash.]

Confirmed:



SQUAD:


Amla
Elgar
Cook
du Plessis
de Villiers
Duniny
de Kock
Philander
Morris
Pretorious
Steyn
M Morkel
Rabada
Tahir
Maharaj

Bavuma in for Pretorious... (Its tests)

 

[Akshay.]

SQUAD:


Amla
Elgar
Cook
du Plessis
de Villiers
Duniny
de Kock
Philander
Morris
Pretorious
Steyn
M Morkel
Rabada
Tahir
Maharaj

Bavuma in for Pretorious... (Its tests)

Your captain?

 

[Yash.]

Your captain?

Du Plessis

 

[Akshay.]

Post Line-ups

Trans-Tasman Trophy
1st Test
New Zealand vs Australia at Basin Reserve, Wellington
Pitch types- Green, Normal, Flat

Freedom Series
1st Test
South Africa vs India at Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg
Pitch types- Green, Normal, Hard

Miandad-Gooch Trophy
1st Test
Pakistan vs England at Sharjah Cricket Stadium, Sharjah
Pitch Types- Dusty, Dry, Flat

At least 1 /
Minimum 5 /
Home team to choose pitch type

@Saroj padhy @Naman Thakur @NaviN GandhI @Pinch hitter @Nitrogen @CerealKiller @AliB @Yash. ​

 

[Saroj padhy]

David Warner
Matthew Renshaw
Usman Khawaja
Steven Smith
Peter Handscomb
Glenn Maxwell
Peter Nevill
James Faulkner
Mitchell Starc
Josh Hazlewood
Pat Cummins