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Strauss’s men must learn to thrive on pressure
England's captain Andrew Strauss walks away after batting during a cricket practice session in Dubai. AP
England go into their Test series against Pakistan in Dubai today having risen to No 1 in the world rankings. The question now is ‘can they stay there?’ Chris Waters reports.
ENGLAND will not need reminding what happened the last time they played an away Test series against Pakistan.
The home team won 2-0 as England, hungover from success in the 2005 Ashes, came crashing down to earth with a bump.
A little over six years on, England and Pakistan resume hostilities with the visitors having risen to world No 1.
Punch-drunk on success of a different kind, they do not want a sobering wake-up call.
Although complacency is unlikely to be a problem this time, with England having apparently learned the lessons of five years ago and under completely different management, Pakistan will be a tough nut to crack.
Since the spot-fixing scandal in England in 2010, Pakistan have recovered to win six and draw five of their last 12 Tests.
During that time they have won series against New Zealand, Zimbabwe, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh and held South Africa and West Indies to draws.
They have been building quietly and with diligent purpose.
So much so that Ian Bell, the England batsman, believes the series will represent a tougher challenge than last winter’s Ashes.
“This is probably the two form teams in Test cricket coming together,” said Bell, a man not given to over-statement.
Pakistan are also well-accustomed to their temporary base of the Middle East, with terrorist atrocities having led to a suspension of international cricket in their own country.
The three Test matches, four one-day internationals and three Twenty20 internationals will be played in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, where the pitches are expected to be docile in character.
Patience will thus be a pre-requisite – both with the ball and particularly with the bat.
The construction of sizeable totals in the Tests will be imperative if England are to justify their status as marginal favourites.
Much will rest on captain Andrew Strauss, who has endured a lean run of late, and on England’s capacity to cope with off-spinner Saeed Ajmal.
Although the pitches will not give him as much turn as would those in Pakistan, Ajmal will pose a significant threat – particularly if his so-called “special delivery” proves as potent in reality as it sounds in rhetoric.
Pace bowler Umar Gul is a proven performer, capable of bounce and plenty of aggression and the bowling line-ups appear fairly well-matched – less so, perhaps, the batting departments.
With Pakistan having pretty much remodelled their side after recent controversies, England possess more depth and experience to their batting order.
They have a settled top-six which, Strauss excepted, has been firing consistently.
Pakistan, meanwhile, will be heavily reliant on Younus Khan, who pretty much holds their batting together.
The former Yorkshire overseas player has been averaging close to 80 since Pakistan’s infamous 3-1 defeat in England in 2010, which he missed after being banned by the Pakistan Cricket Board for “in-fighting” during a tour of Australia.
As remarkable as it may seen, Younus has the best Test average of any Pakistani – 53.03.
He has scored 6,215 runs in 73 Tests, with 19 hundreds and 25 fifties.
Younus’s influence is comparable to that of Javed Miandad in days gone by.
Like Javed, there is something of the street-fighter about him and he is a punishing player all around the ground.
This is a Test series, however, that England should win.
They are in great form, the wind is in their sails and Pakistan – regardless of ‘home’ conditions – will have to play extremely well to beat them.
Moreover, it is the sort of series England must win if they are to retain their status as world No 1.
It may be an old cliché but it is one thing getting to No 1 and quite another staying there, for everyone wants to knock the champions off their perch.
The tag of being world No 1 carries added pressure – one on which England must learn to thrive.
That is what the great West Indian and Australian teams did so well, with pressure bringing out the best in their talented players.
The reality is that the forthcoming series is but one of several challenges this year that will tell us whether England have the capacity to build a comparable dynasty.
After the Pakistan series they play two Tests in Sri Lanka, where they will do well to avoid defeat – let alone win.
Home series against West Indies and South Africa follow this summer, with the latter sure to provide a difficult test, before the year concludes with a four-Test series in India.
Although India are struggling, having found Australian conditions no less tough than those in England last summer, they are traditionally a different proposition on home soil where they should never be underestimated.
If England are still No 1 this time next year, good luck to them.
It would be a status nothing less than hard-earned.
How England tour unfolds
Tests
1st Test: Dubai (Jan 17-21)
2nd Test: Abu Dhabi (Jan 25-29)
3rd Test: Dubai (Feb 3-7)
One-day
1st ODI: Abu Dhabi (Feb 13)
2nd ODI: Abu Dhabi (Feb 15)
3rd ODI: Dubai (Feb 18)
4th ODI: Dubai (Feb 21)
Twenty20
1st T20I: Dubai (Feb 23)
2nd T20I: Dubai (Feb 25)
3rd T20I: Abu Dhabi (Feb 27)
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