England’s aggressive approach will help when they face spin-friendly conditions in Pakistan during their Test series in October, the country’s former bowler Stuart Broad has said.England will return to Pakistan for a red-ball series after defeating the hosts 3-0 in Tests in 2022 when Harry Brook scored three centuries and spinners thrived.Brendon McCullum’s side, however, failed in similar spin-friendly conditions in India, where they lost a series 4-1 earlier this year.Broad said England have got the players to deal with spin in Pakistan but will have to play with their ultra-aggressive style to get positive results."I think the style will work in Pakistan, for sure,” Broad said ahead of the launch of Inside Lord’s, Marylebone Cricket Club’s (MCC) new digital platform."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.”England’s fast-bowling unit, led by Chris Woakes and including Matthew Potts, Olly Stone, Gus Atkinson and Brydon Carse, will be without experienced Mark Wood, who has an elbow injury, and skipper Ben Stokes, who is not yet fit to bowl.Struggling PakistanBroad said Pakistan, who were defeated 2-0 at home by Bangladesh last month, would be looking to take advantage of England’s inexperienced fast bowling lineup, but the visitors must capitalise on the hosts’ underwhelming form."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,” 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.”Broad said there had been an inconsistency in results with England’s test style, but players must focus on the positives.The youngsters might take time to adapt to it, but players like Jamie Smith were improving under McCullum and Stokes. "It’s been an amazing style for young players to learn their game and have amazing freedom. The key to it is the consistency in selection,” Broad added.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 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.Babar resigns as Pakistan’s white-ball skipperBabar Azam resigned as Pakistan’s white-ball skipper yesterday, saying he wanted to focus on his playing role in the future matches, batter said on social media site X."I have decided to resign as captain of the Pakistan men’s cricket team. It’s been an honour to lead this team, but it’s time for me to step down and focus on my playing role,” Azam, re-appointed skipper in May this year, tweeted late yesterday.Azam’s resignation came a week before Pakistan’s three-match Test series against England, starting in Multan on October 7, in which he was named in the 15-man squad.Shan Masood will lead the Test side.
October 01, 2024 | 11:59 PM