Pakistan’s pack leader Mohammad Abbas has been a consistent performer for the team in the Test fold. Abbas is known to be right on the money with his line and length and he also hits the right areas to continuously breathe down the neck of the opposition batsman. Meanwhile, England’s talisman all-rounder Ben Stokes has been in the form of his life.
Stokes scored 363 runs in the three-match series against the West Indies and he was always going to be a big wicket for Pakistan. However, the southpaw batsman could not get going in the first Test against Pakistan at Old Trafford. Stokes has often shimmied down the track to disturb the line and length of the fast bowlers in the recent past.
Mohammad Abbas has been right on the money
However, Mohammad Abbas was focussed on bowling in the right areas when he got a chance to bowl at Stokes. The left-hander pranced down the track and Abbas was able to get the ball to move away slightly from round the wicket angle. It was a peach of a delivery from Abbas to hit the top of Stokes’ off-stump as he completely bamboozled the batsman.
“Ben Stokes is a big name in cricket right now. He is one of the world’s best allrounders, and he’s performed several times for his country. Before the game, we watched videos and analyzed how best to disrupt him. So we went around the wicket straightaway. I tried to bowl in the right areas, and he kept moving forward to try and disturb me. But my view is when a batsman comes forward, I am not disturbed by that. I feel I am disturbing the batsman by forcing him to move around the crease,” Abbas told Pakistan Cricket Board.
It was brilliant planning from Mohammad Abbas and he was able to execute his plans to perfection in the match as Stokes was dismissed without troubling the scorers. Abbas has scalped 80 wickets in 20 Test matches at an impressive average of 20.68.
Meanwhile, Ben Stokes went on to miss the second Test at Ageas Bowl, Southampton as he had to leave for Christchurch due to family reasons. Stokes will also miss the third Test at the same venue.
England leads the three-match series by 1-0 as they had won the first match by three wickets. The second Test match ended in a draw as rain and bad light frustrated the players. The third and final Test match will take place at the Ageas Bowl, Southampton from today.
