Pakistan and England stayed in Southampton to play the final Test match of the 3-matches Test series. England has 1-0 lead in the series.
Team Preview
England and Pakistan are ready for the final Test match of the series after the washed out affair in the second Test. England has taken an unassailable lead in the series and the draw is enough for the Hosts to clinch the series while Pakistan will be keen to level the series. After winning the Manchester Test by 3-wickets, both sides went to Southampton and rain spoiled Pakistan’s hopes. England was clinical in the washed-out affair as they bowled Pakistan out on 236 after the half-centuries from Abid Ali and Mohammad Rizwan. Stuart Broad scalped 4 wickets for England.
Azhar Ali’s form is a worrying sign for Pakistan as the skipper went for just 20 in the 2nd Test. Zack Crawley scored a half-century to give visitors a positive sign ahead of the final Test. Pakistan could call Shadab back in the team after the failure from Fawad Alam but it looks dull as the conditions are not favorable for the spin. Visitors are more reliant on their bowling trio Yasir Shah, Shaheen Afridi, and Mohammad Abbas so they need to put pressure on England's batting unit. Babar needs to convert his start into a big one and the middle-order has to provide the strength.
England has also a fine opportunity to overtake Australia on the ICC World Test Championship points table. Hosts are likely to go ahead with the same XI and if the rain comes in priority, England can give a node to extra pacer either Wood or Archer in place of Bess.
Pitch Report
The Rose Bowl will host the final Test and as expected, the rain is likely to play spoilsport in Southampton once again. The surface is good for pace-attack and with the new ball, fast bowlers could draw some blood to the side. In overcast conditions, bowling first would be an ideal call.
Possible XI
England
Rory Burns, Dominic Sibley, Zak Crawley, Joe Root (c), Ollie Pope, Jos Buttler (wk), Chris Woakes, Sam Curran, Dominic Bess, Stuart Broad, James Anderson
Pakistan
Shan Masood, Abid Ali, Azhar Ali (c), Babar Azam, Asad Shafiq, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Yasir Shah, Mohammad Abbas, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Fawad Alam
Key Players
England
Stuart Broad
In home summer 2020 – M: 04, Wickets: 26
Ongoing series – 54/3, 37/3 & 56/4
Chris Woakes
In WTC 2019-21 – M: 6, Wickets: 29, Runs: 256
Ongoing series – 5 wickets & 103 runs
Pakistan
Babar Azam
In WTC 2019-21 – M: 7, Runs: 736, Avg: 81.77
Ongoing series: 69, 5, 47
Yasir Shah
In WTC 2019-21 – M: 6, Wickets: 19, Avg: 45.52
Ongoing series: 66/4, 99/4, 30/1
