England’s struggles against Pakistan’s tail-enders have once again come to the fore in the ongoing Rawalpindi Test, with former cricketer Nasser Hussain expressing concerns about captain Ben Stokes’ workload.
After reducing Pakistan to 155/6, England’s bowlers lost their way, allowing the hosts to mount a remarkable comeback. Noman Ali and Sajid Khan, Pakistan’s experienced spin duo, played pivotal roles in frustrating England’s bowlers, scoring 45 and 48* respectively.
Hussain believes that Stokes may be carrying too much responsibility as captain and could benefit from some assistance. “Stokes maybe puts so much energy into his captaincy, into the week of captaincy, he may just need a bit of help when England are seven or eight down,” Hussain said.
The former England captain also questioned the team’s tactics against tail-enders. “Even when England have had pace, I think they’ve slightly lost the plot and gone just for a bouncer ploy,” Hussain said. “They do lose the plot a little bit.”
Hussain also expressed surprise that legspinner Rehan Ahmed, who had taken three wickets before lunch, was not given an over for the first eight overs after the break. “I was amazed Rehan Ahmed didn’t start after lunch. A wrist spinner who’d just got three-for before lunch. I’d have gone with the wrist spinner against the lower order,” Hussain said.
England’s inability to dismiss tail-enders has been a recurring issue in recent years. Hussain believes that the team needs to find a more effective strategy to deal with this challenge. “It’s not just today or in this series, but in the last two or three years, they have struggled to get through tail-enders,” Hussain said.
With England facing an unprecedented series defeat in Pakistan, Hussain’s concerns about Stokes’ workload and the team’s tactics against tail-enders are likely to be shared by many fans.
