With Pakistan getting ready for the first Test on Thursday, Azhar Ali believes they can take 20 England wickets at Lord’s.
The opener, who hit 73 on Satuday, said: “Good bowlers always take advantage of early-summer conditions, and we have good bowlers.” He added: “That’s the way we’re thinking. We want to play attacking cricket, we want to take 20 wickets, that’s why we are going with five bowlers, and hopefully this side will do well.”
Their main strike bowler, Mohammad Amir, was unavailable here, protecting the recurring knee injury which forced him to leave the field in the Test against Ireland last week.
But the fact his fellow opening bowler Mohammad Abbas, who took nine wickets in the Test against Ireland, picked up a solitary victim deep into the evening session, while fellow seamers Rahat Ali and Faheem Ashraf both went wicketless, indicates that the pitch at Lord’s is going to have to have spice in it for there to be a serious possibility of Pakistan bowling England out twice.
Accurate and economical they may have been, but penetrative they were not, and on a flattish track only the leg-spinner Shadab Khan looked able to make inroads.
Ali also said Pakistan are likely to be unchanged from their Test victory near Dublin last week.
But as preparations for their two-Test series against England go, taking three wickets in the first 72 overs against what amounted to a county second XI is unlikely to fill Pakistan with confidence. Yet Ali said: “Overall we’re happy with the preparation we’ve had and hopefully that will transfer to the Tests against England. Amir is fine, he bowled very well against Ireland and in the last couple of days he’s been doing his rehab and also some bowling and he’s quite comfortable.”
On a cloudless morning it took the visitors almost an hour and three-quarters to prise out Leicestershire’s young openers, who had brought up the 50 before Shadab had Sam Evans leg before on the back foot for 22.
Harry Dearden had ground his way to 19 off 77 balls when a loose drive at a wide delivery from Saad Ali gave Fakhar Zaman a low catch at backward point.
That was the sum of Pakistan’s success before lunch, but they appeared more focused after the break. Ashraf bowled a lively, aggressive and accurate spell, during which he hit Ateeq Javid on the helmet, and Rahat also improved, but it was Shadab who caught the eye. The smiling teenager once again demonstrated the considerable potential of his variations, having Lewis Hill caught at mid-off and Aadil Ali dropped at cover, as well as a handful of respectable leg before shouts turned down, though Leicestershire’s batsmen later reported his googly can be picked, both from the hand and because it is bowled with a slightly quicker action.
Even so, wickets continued to elude the visitors. Javid went on to a half-century before retiring, and the shadows of the floodlight pylons were extending a long way across the pitch before Abbas had Tom Wells caught in the gully. Even then Tom Taylor hit him for four fours in five balls before the players shook hands.
“It’s a team game and everybody will have to play a part,” said Azhar. “As a senior player I need to make sure I do what I can to build a platform so we have enough runs on the board to help the bowlers. It’s never easy to play in England, it’s always challenging, but we are prepared to do our best. It’s a big opportunity, especially for the younger players.”