Pakistan vs England, 1st Test Match Preview, Prediction, and Live Streaming

Just a little more than a fortnight ago, plenty laid uncertain about the tour. The itinerary, what channel to tune in to watch the games, the captaincy conundrum for both teams and whatnot. But these were the least of concerns for both teams. England had an awful lot of cricket going on to keep them occupied and away from these uncomfortable questions. Pakistan had forced themselves into an out-of-the-thin-air domestic tournament, and off-field headlines worthy news. Eventually, the venues were decided, Sky Sports stepped ahead to acquire the hosting rights, one of the skippers stayed, the other succumbed to his injury for the first game, and whatnots were addressed quite satisfactorily by both boards.

With everything set, now it is time for the pursuit of calm for both teams amidst all the chaos, which has nothing to do with the above list of issues. This chaos will follow both teams into the series to demand answers, maybe answer a few questions, and try to come out of it almost unscathed. The chaos at England’s end surrounds, mainly, the fact that it will potentially be the third time the Three Lions will miss out on a WTC final. All the talks about reviving the format and introducing a new brand of cricket seem less attractive and convincing when these selfless acts do no good for the team itself.

Pakistan’s chaos is different from the usual chaos that normally dwells in the country’s cricketing circuit. It’s not just about missing the WTC final. It includes the bigger and more damaging issues that have started peeking their heads out of the ground. For instance, for quite some time now the team has been struggling with taking 20 wickets throughout a Test match, which is one of the reasons why they could not firm their feet even on their home turf. Every off-season brings hopes for a better time ahead, only to be shattered soon as the cricket season begins.

Team Overview:

Ben Stokes was earlier left out of the squad to help him recover fully from his injury. This means Ollie Pope will once again head the visitors. But the challenge for him, this time, would be greater than what he had at home. Brydon Carse, Gus Atkinson, and Chris Woakes will make a pace attack that has never played red-ball format on Pakistan’s soil. Zak Crawley’s return at the opening position would be a welcome sight for the English fans.

Pakistan, on paper, look decently prepared for the challenge England will pose. Aamer Jamal’s return will blow a new life into the pace attack that struggled against Bangladesh recently. Him, along with Naseem Shah and Shaheen Shah Afridi form an attack that looks rather lethal but everything about that comes down to the question whether all of these pacers will be able to hold their nerves against England’s onslaught. Pakistan would love to see Abrar Ahmed do what he did the last time England played in Multan.

Head-to-Head Matches:

England and Pakistan have played 89 Test matches against each other, with Pakistan winning 21 games and England dominating the men in green in 29. The remaining 39 games ended in a draw.

Weather and Pitch Report:

England come from a dark and wet end of summer in their own country to a sultry and dry Multan with a temperature that reaches 36 degrees during the day. There is no chance of rain showing up during the game, though the weather betrayed forecast just recently when it rained heavily contrary to the prediction.

The pitch has some green on it, and generally Multan is a fairly decent venue for bowlers. Fast bowlers will hold sway for the most part of the game but spinners will get a decisive role to play towards the end of the Test match. Batters can hope to start getting some assistance by second day.