Former pacer Stuart Broad on Tuesday, shared that he wants England to play “fast-paced cricket” amid their three-match away Test against Pakistan.
Broad, while speaking to the media on the sidelines of the launch of Inside Lord’s, a Marylebone Cricket Club’s (MCC) new digital platform, asserted that England have the players who can counter the spin-threat in Pakistan but insisted Ben Stokes-led side to continue with their brand of cricket.
“I think the style will work in Pakistan, for sure,” Broad said.
“I think they’re really positive and aggressive, they can find the boundary and don’t get tied down by spin.
“England will have to play fast-paced cricket to force results over there because you generally do need five days to make something happen.”
Stuart Broad also commented on Pakistan’s recent struggles at home, the highlight of which was their 2-0 Test series defeat against Bangladesh but remained cautious that the home side may exploit England’s inexperienced fast-bowling unit.
“Pakistan have not been playing the best cricket. They’ve been struggling, so England should see that as a positive and go there trying to apply pressure to that team as soon as they possibly can,” Stuart Broad said.
“But we always know Pakistan, they’ve got world-class talent and players that can win a game on their own. It won’t be an easy challenge.
“The surfaces (in Pakistan) were a bit slower and turned, but in their recent series they’ve had a bit of green grass on and carried through a bit more.
“I don’t know which way Pakistan will lean on their pitches – they might leave a bit of grass on, seeing an inexperienced bowling group from England.”
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The three-match series between Pakistan and England will run from October 7 to 28 and is part of the ICC World Test Championship 2023-25.
It’s worth noting that the second Test, which was originally planned at the National Bank Stadium in Karachi from 15-19 October, will now be played at the Multan Cricket Stadium.
The match has been shifted as the National Bank Stadium is undergoing a major facelift for next year’s ICC Champions Trophy 2025.
The remaining two Tests will be played as originally planned, i.e. 7-11 October in Multan and 24-28 October in Rawalpindi.
Squads:
Pakistan: Shan Masood (captain), Saud Shakeel (vice-captain), Aamir Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Huraira, Mohammad Rizwan (wicket-keeper), Naseem Shah, Noman Ali, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Sarfaraz Ahmed (wicket-keeper), and Shaheen Shah Afridi.
England: Ben Stokes (C), Rehan Ahmed, Gus Atkinson, Shoaib Bashir, Harry Brook, Brydon Carse, Jordan Cox, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Jack Leach, Ollie Pope, Matthew Potts, Joe Root, Jamie Smith, Olly Stone, Chris Woakes.
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