08/07/2026
Pakistan actually has quite a decent chance of winning the series against England in England this time. Ben Stokes has retired and Brendon McCullum is no longer England's Test coach. England is now in sort of a transition phase, with Joe Root reappointed as their Test captain, and they will be playing their first series under a new coach. So I don't think England will be playing the same brand of cricket that they have played over the last three years in Test cricket, the "Bazball" approach.
So most probably we might see more traditional England pitches instead of flat decks where a ton of runs are scored, as we saw in the India vs England Test series last year. This will actually favor Pakistan because over the last few years, whenever there has been a flat, batting friendly pitch, Pakistan has ended up losing the majority of those games. Pakistan would put up a good first innings total but then collapse in the second innings. We literally lost games after scoring 500 to 600 runs in the first innings. So a pitch that offers a more even contest between bat and ball will suit Pakistan better.
Though tackling England's fast bowlers in those conditions will be a big challenge, especially for a few players who clearly struggle against pace when there is seam and swing. Anyway, it will be a big test for everyone, but as I said earlier, Pakistan has a decent chance. Abbas and Ali both had a good series against the West Indies, and they should both step up in the series against England. As for the third pacer, honestly I would have preferred Shaheen or Naseem in these conditions, but neither of them is in the squad.
Babar has been in good form, and winning the Player of the Series award in the West Indies would have boosted his confidence. He just needs to do the same in England, which is to lead the team from the front.
By the way, Pakistan hasn't won a Test match in SENA since 2018, when they defeated England at Lord's, and they haven't won a Test series in SENA since 2010, when they defeated New Zealand 1-0 in New Zealand. So maybe this could change this time...
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