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It’s been 22 years since England last visited Karachi, and Nasser Hussain’s team stole the loot in the dark from under Pakistan’s nose.
Circumstances are different now, but the stakes are high. Victory for Ben Stokes’ team would make them the first to leave this country with a 3-0 victory, further polishing the Bazball legend.
It’s one thing to have concluded the series with one game to play, in the process doubling England’s number of wins in Pakistan since their first trip 61 years ago. But a shutout would count among the best results by any visitor from anywhere in Asia.
England can make history with a third win over Pakistan after winning the first two games
Stokes mentioned the 3-0 win in Sri Lanka four years ago, when England’s ‘total cricket’ was as adventurous as things got under Joe Root. But he knows that the same score here would top even that, and provide the perfect ending to a test year in which England went from laughing stock to revolutionaries.
For their next stunt they are set to bring in Leicestershire player Rehan Ahmed, who at 18 years and 126 days would be England’s youngest Test debutant, 23 days younger than Brian Close when he played New Zealand at Old Trafford in 1949.
Ahmed’s prospects of a first cap have improved as Pakistan want a change track to help their own Ahmed, mystery spinner Abrar, who took 11 wickets on his Multan debut. Despite the excellence of their captain and hitting talisman Babar Azam, Abrar feels like their most likely path to a consolation win.
England’s Ahmed, meanwhile, has played just three first-class matches, but Stokes and Brendon McCullum like what they’ve seen, with Stokes upping his all-round credentials by stating he’s not sure how to categorize him: a long legged hitter or a hitter? Ahmed’s 10-ball 26 for the Lions against the senior team during the pre-tour camp in Abu Dhabi clearly left an impression.
Young Rehan Ahmed is set to enter the fray for the final match against Pakistan.
“I don’t think this is a case of giving away caps,” Stokes said. “We chose him in the team not only because of his talent, but because we thought it would be a good opportunity to play him if we thought it was necessary.
‘Having a wrist-twisting player is always exciting, especially for England, but it’s not being carried away by the potential he has. You still have to nurture talent, as exciting as that is.
If Ahmed plays, that could be bad news for Will Jacks, who scored a six for with his breaks on debut in Rawalpindi but faded in Multan, where he bowled eight wicketless overs. That would leave Ahmed as No. 7. A century in his most recent first-class coup, against Derbyshire in September, means he must not be deterred.
As much as the pitch changes, England will be undeterred, having won on the flattest surface imaginable at Rawalpindi and overcoming the challenge posed by Abrar at Multan.
Ahmed will become the youngest player to make an appearance for England in Test Cricket
They have taken all 10 wickets in every innings so far under Stokes and McCullum, and are intent on ending the year with a ninth win in 10, their best sequence since 2004.
“The confidence that these two games have given our bowlers in particular is enormous,” said Stokes. “I don’t feel like there’s been any stage where we’ve strayed as a bowling unit, where sometimes we might have in the past.
‘And I didn’t just come up with ideas about how to take a wicket. Everyone would come up to me and say: try this, try that.
Meanwhile, he has been squeezing performances out of 40-year-old Jimmy Anderson, so much so that he is averaging under 18 since Stokes took over, the lowest figure for any of his eight England captains during a career dating back. almost 20 years.
With Joe Root this week celebrating a decade as a Test cricketer, Stokes has been bringing out the best in two of England’s all-time greats.
Ben Stokes has praised England’s chances ahead of the third game against Pakistan.
“I don’t know how much time Rooty has left, but I don’t see it stopping anytime soon,” he said. ‘Jimmy is an incredible example for me and Rooty, he’s 40 years old and has played 177 tests, that’s serious stuff. We don’t know how he keeps doing it. But I can see Joe playing for something similar to Jimmy.
“His body management in particular is very good – he knows what he needs to be ready. He has taken very good care of himself these last five years, which allows him to continue playing. Maybe when I get to 35, I’ll ask him what he’s been up to.
At the moment, England want to build on Pakistan’s fragile confidence and win once again in a venue where the hosts have been beaten just twice in 44 Tests, including Hussain’s match.
And if they can keep Australia on their toes before next summer’s ashes, Stokes won’t be unhappy either. The Aussies recently posted a scrawled note on their dressing room window during the Adelaide Test against the West Indies. He would say ‘Ronball’, in homage to his trainer Andrew McDonald’s nickname.
Stokes has spoken of his wishes to keep Australia on its toes before the ashes next summer.
“We must be setting the trend of having a coach with the ‘ball’ behind him,” Stokes joked. “I guess it’s natural, with the way we play, that it’s also talked about outside of our group.”
“Ronball doesn’t speak as well as Bazball,” he said. Even if Baz doesn’t like it.
Victory in Karachi, and all may be forgiven.